A Triangle of Love
by Edward Wrightman
Summary: What happens when Alex Cabot knows a Special Victims Unit case victim? Could it allow for Olivia and Alex to learn each others secret? Alex/Olivia
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

This is the first crime/detective style I've written, so comment would be very much appreciated. This is more of an introduction chapter, and if readers like it I will certainly keep writing. If you don't agree with or like female/female relationships please feel free to stop reading at any time, but only positive comments would be appreciated. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you enjoy this story. **  
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The girl's body had been left in a familiar dirt covered alley. Her clothes had been torn off, and the remains of them laid burned off to the side. "What happened here?" Elliot heard Olivia's voice behind him as she saw the fire being put out. Elliot had been unable to stare long at the body. With long blond hair, blue eyes, and a smaller frame she reminded him of his own daughter. They were around the same age at sixteen, but Elliot's daughter was still alive. The close resemblance would make this case harder than it already was for him. "Guy found the victim around one this morning. Whoever did this decided to torch some of the evidence." Olivia looked at the victim and stopped for a moment, she recognized some of the clothing from a store she shopped at.

"Elliot, those burned clothes would have cost her hundreds. How can a sixteen year old girl afford that?" Elliot just looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Maybe she had a sugar daddy?" Olivia shook her head kneeling by the body for a better look. "Elliot, she has a pink triangle tattoo on her shoulder. I think you struck out with the sugar daddy." Elliot found himself laughing at the comment; it was now two in the morning. He knelt down next to Olivia to see what she was talking about. Sure enough there was a pink triangle with black outline on her shoulder. "She's underage to have that. Maybe if we're lucky we'll find the place that did it. They could lead us to a potential boyfriend perhaps?" Olivia looked at him and smiled for a moment, something amused her.

She looked at Elliot getting back up, before they left the crime scene. "We should start with her school. See if her friends know anything, and then we can narrow down a time." Elliot nodded while getting into the car. "You buying coffee or am I?" Olivia looked at Elliot as he drove back to the station, and she smiled from the tired look on his face. "Why don't we just get some at the precinct? You look as tired as I feel." Elliot took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her. She had put on her makeup somehow, probably in the car on the way. Her clothes were ironed, but probably left by the side of her bed just in case. He hadn't seen how tired she was on the surface, until he found out her schedule. "Hey we're back already." Olivia laughed getting out of the car. "Only took two hours sleep this time."

Elliot went through a few facts that he knew while the group tried to compare thoughts. "Girl's around sixteen, rape then left in an alley. Probably dragged but not kidnapped, which means she probably didn't know her attacker. Body had noticeable bruising on her thighs along with her arms." Olivia picked up her own notepad and sighed before reading off her list. "The victim had noticeable marks on her wrists, probably from a rope. Her clothes left in a pile to burn, but they were torn. She had a tattoo on her left shoulder, a pink triangle." Elliot looked at Olivia and noticed she seemed a little off. "A tattoo bother you Liv?" Fin began to laugh across the room next to Elliot's desk, and it earned him a dirty look from Elliot. "Ever get the feeling you're missing something Elliot?" Fin looked at Elliot and noticed he was getting a little angry.

Olivia smiled slightly looking at Elliot; she always looked mischievous when she smiled like that. "Elliot a pink triangle is a gay pride symbol. Our victim was probably at the least bisexual." Elliot looked at Fin a bit surprised. "And you knew this?" Fin got up from his desk and grabbed a cup of coffee from the machine. "Yeah, you learn a thing or two when you're son is gay." Olivia looked up at Fin a bit surprised. "You got a better relationship with your son now?" Fin nodded. "Yeah, no thank to his mother." Munch began to laugh slightly. "What wife was it this time?" Elliot's laughter could be heard throughout the squad room, and it was a much need relief. Their captain made his way from his office holding a big vanilla folder. That was never a promising sight for them, and it usually meant they were in trouble.

"Everybody listen up, her name's Jasmine Harrison." Munch ran the name through his mind before it finally hit him. "Harrison, as in Judge Harrison?" Elliot looked up at the captain almost swearing under his breath. "Great a judge's daughter, that'll make this case top priority." The captain looked at Elliot and sighed starting to feel the political pressure already. "Yeah well, she's still a victim here and until we know otherwise this our case." Olivia got up from her desk grabbing her coat ready to get started on the case. They'd at least know where to start now from the I.D. in the victim's purse. Alex Cabot walked into the squad room just as Olivia was going to tell Elliot they were going to the high school. Olivia was surprised to see Alex in the squad room again, but it was a welcome sight.

"Did I hear right? Judge Harrison's daughter is dead?" The captain looked at Alex a bit surprised to see her. It was however a judge's daughter and that meant the ADA would make sure this case had top priority. "Yeah, don't tell me the case already hit your office." Alex smiled a little nodding, yet Olivia noticed something was wrong with Alex. Her makeup was a bit smeared as if she had been crying, and her voice sounded desperate to learn the truth. Elliot looked at Olivia while grabbing his jacket, and noticed how Olivia seemed glued to Alex lately. Perhaps she had been working too hard, and simply needed another female to talk to. Most of the detectives in the squad room were male, and that made Olivia feel trapped sometimes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

I just want to say thank you for your comments so far. They're very appreciated, and I can't say thank you enough. Continued thoughts are appreciated, and reviews are always welcomed. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter in the story, and again, thank you! =)

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Olivia walked up the high school steps wondering how long it had been since she'd been in school herself. She didn't want to think back that far, being so insecure of herself back then. Cases were often hard to deal with when you related to them, yet she couldn't simply build up a wall for each case. "How long has it been sense you saw her?" Olivia snapped out of surveying her surroundings, Elliot had finally found the right office. He was finally talking to the school's director. "Jasmine? Everyone remembers her, how could they not? She stuck out among the students." Olivia looked at the director of the school a moment focusing on what he said. For the most part, it was trying to ask the right questions with cases like these. "You said she stuck out, how did she stick out so much?"

Elliot looked at Olivia as if she were losing her mind a little bit. He didn't see how a judge's daughter couldn't stick out in high school. "Jasmine was very private, and her father's job made it hard for her to make friends. She rarely hung out with anyone, but there was this one girl she was friends with." Elliot looked at the director a bit surprised. "Do you remember the girl's name?" The director simply nodded then wrote down the girl's name for them. Olivia looked at the name and looked up at Elliot a bit surprised. "You want to handle it or should I?" Elliot looked at the name and sighed looking at Olivia a bit unsure of how to handle this. "We'll both handle it." Elliot looked at the school's director wondering what this lead would bring them. "Can we talk to Rebecca Sinton?"

At first the name had meant nothing to Elliot, but then he had remembered the last name. He was surprised even Olivia would remember it so quickly. It was one of Elliot's early cases; a girl had been raped and set free. She had run to the station her clothes dirty, and she was exhausted by the time she'd gotten there. The case had remained unsolved all these years, even when the girl became pregnant. There wasn't a single match in the system, and all the leads had dried up. If Elliot had guessed correctly Rebecca had been the daughter's name. The irony hit him in the stomach at that moment, his current partner being a rape victim herself. "Liv, if you can't do this just let me know." Olivia shook her head; she wanted to overcome her own feelings about her parents.

Olivia looked at the girl across the table from her, and wondered if she felt as she had. There was that closeness to this case again for her, and she had to fight to put it aside. This girl was a lead, and for all they knew a perp. "Rebecca did you know Jasmine?" Rebecca's voice was soft, and her eyes wouldn't make contact with Olivia's. "Yeah, we hung out a few times." Elliot decided to ask a question, he hoped it would make this easier on Rebecca. "Did you two stop hanging out, or did something happen?" Rebecca made eye contact with Elliot, and Olivia was a bit surprised. Women usually didn't make other females feel uncomfortable. "We used to go to these clubs, after awhile Jasmine started to change." Elliot looked up for his notepad at the word club, both girls were underage.

"Well you're too young to go clubbing. How'd you two get in?" Olivia looked at Elliot wanting to ask her own question, but the girl was shy around her. Rebecca looked down at the table a moment, she was blushing. "It's a twenty-one or under club. There used to be fights, and a few shut down. Still there was this one that stayed open, Sirens' Hangout. It's like a few blocks from here." Olivia decided to soften her voice and try asking Rebecca a question. "You said Jasmine had changed, how so?" Rebecca seemed to think about Liv's question for a moment. "She started hanging out at these Gothic stores, said they understood her. It was just too weird for me, and I stopped going." Elliot looked at Olivia for a moment, but then went back to questioning Rebecca.

The school library was becoming busier, so Elliot sat down trying not to draw attention to them. The last thing the case needed was more publicity. "Okay these Gothic stores how weird were they?" Rebecca shook her head before getting up and grabbing her bag. "I should go; I'm going to be late for class." Elliot nodded letting her leave, something definitely wasn't right with this. Olivia got up from the table ready to follow up on their new leads. "Something sure scared her." Elliot nodded opening a door for Olivia; it was just a habit now. A few high school kids laughed at him for it, but Elliot kept walking. "Yeah, we should head to that club she mentioned. Maybe one of the staff will be able to tell us if she made any new friends." Elliot tossed Olivia his keys forgetting she had her own set by now. "Why don't you drive? I'll call Fin ask him for a list of any Gothic teen stores in this area. We might get lucky."

Olivia parked the car on the street, something Elliot rarely did. He often thought it might get broken into, but it was a squad car. People knew what they looked like, and often knew better. The Sirens' Club was a little deceiving from the outside. A rundown sign was all that marked the entrance, and yet inside it was completely modern. The club had a dance floor, screen, and complete bar that served alcoholic drinks without the alcohol. Olivia found herself wishing she had such an escape when she was in school. Her mother probably never would have let her go though; Olivia hated thinking of her mother. She had died because she was drunk. The pain of that fact would never go away, but each case brought with it its own memories. Olivia looked around the place one more time before heading to the bartender.

"The club isn't open yet; if you're looking for someone to meet honey you'll have to go somewhere else." Elliot smiled slightly showing the woman his badge. "She's not looking for a date, but maybe you could her find out if a girl was here." Elliot showed the bartender Jasmine's photo, and noticed she recognized her. "Yeah, she was in here a few days ago." Olivia looked at the girl a bit surprised. "How are you so sure?" The bartender smiled a little messing with some of the glasses behind the bar. "Honey, if you knew her you'd remember." Olivia wasn't used to being called honey, but she let it go. Elliot began to get annoyed however, and began asking his own questions. "She come in here with a guy or did she meet up with anyone?"

The bartender looked at Elliot and stopped what she was doing. "Look this isn't your typical teen hangout. Girls don't come here to hook up with any guys; they come here because they don't want to hook up with guys." Olivia smiled slightly now understand why she had been called honey. "So this is a gay bar, only for teens?" The bartender smiled at Olivia, and her hand gently touched her own. "You're a fast one honey. You want to stick around awhile?" Olivia gave the bartender what Elliot called her playful smile. "Maybe later, but right now I'm on the clock. Maybe you can help me figure out if Jasmine came in here with anyone?" The bartender looked at Elliot, before speaking to Olivia again. "Yeah she came in here with this blond girl. She was cute and all, but she was over twenty-one and they had to leave."

Elliot looked at the bartender a little annoyed with the lack of details. "This blond have a name?" The bartender thought about it for a moment, and then seemed to remember. "Yeah, Jasmine said her name was Alex. Her daddy is some big shot judge, and she said that the girl was a lawyer." Olivia froze, a little shocked from the statement. "Wait, Alex Cabot was in here?" The bartender nodded slowly, going back to cleaning glasses. "Yeah, why sweetheart? Old girlfriend of yours?" Olivia shook her head. "No, she works with us." The bartender smiled slightly. "You didn't know that about her did you?" Elliot shook his head having had enough. "Look, stop with the games. You know where they went after they left?" The bartender wasn't happy by Elliot's direct questions, and it made things harder.

The bartender put a glass down on the bar, but finally answered Elliot's question. "Yeah, Jasmine said they were going to Sunday's Holy Blood." Olivia stood there surprised recognizing the name; it often came up in their investigations. "Alright thanks for your help." Elliot started to walk out of the place, but Olivia smiled a little at the bartender. She handed her a ten dollar bill, before leaving as a way of saying thanking you. It wasn't a habit, but she admired a girl who could piss off her partner like that. "Hey, come on Liv we've got to figure out what's going on." Olivia buckled her seat-belt before looking over at Elliot. "That Sunday's Holy Blood place, I know of it." Elliot looked at Olivia surprised. "Is it another gay bar?" Olivia shook her head; she knew how bad the place was. "No, it explains how Rebecca was so scared."

Elliot looked at Olivia as he parked where she told him to again. "You sure you want to go in here now?" Olivia looked at him looking at her watch. "Yeah, it's early yet." Elliot checked his watch then looked back up at Olivia as they crossed the street. "Liv, it's in the afternoon. How is it early?" Olivia opened the door looking at her partner and smiled. "It's a little early for vampires to be up yet." Elliot notice how she winked at him, before walking into the club. Elliot walked into the club to see the place was completely dark, and the club was again pretty much empty. He could help but wonder why Alex had come to this place, it wasn't her. Olivia finally found someone working near the door, and they seemed surprised. "Look we don't do anything wrong here. It's a free country after all isn't it?"

Elliot looked at the kid, he was way past twenty-one. "Yeah innocent people always say that." Olivia looked at the guy wondering if he was actually right. "I have a friend who comes here. Maybe you can tell me why?" The guy nodded, a little scared by Elliot's tough attitude with him already. "Yeah sure, you got a name?" Olivia had a name, but she hated even asking. "Alex Cabot, she usually comes in here with Jasmine Harrison." The guy nodded, never taking his eyes off Elliot. "Yeah, they're regulars here. Jasmine's a friend of mine. I know she's lesbian, but I didn't hold that against her. She's cool with the Gothic scene here. Was new when I met her, just like Alex was when Jasmine brought her in." Elliot looked at the guy, and began questioning him. "When was the last time they were here?"

The guy looked at Elliot, and for once held eye contact with him. It was a sign of not backing down, and Elliot wouldn't take lightly to it. He had always been good at reading body language, and in this job you needed to. "They were here last night, got here around ten at night. Stayed till eleven thirty, and then left." Olivia looked at Elliot; this was getting worse the more they found out. If Jasmine's body was found around one, that meant Alex was the last one to see her alive. Alex was becoming more and more of a suspect the more questions they asked. Elliot and Olivia finished with a few more routine questions, each trying to put off the next step in the investigation. They would have to question Alex, all their leads had pointed to her. If it had been anyone else, they'd already have been dragged into questioning.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex sat at her desk her blond hair finally let down after the hard day. Two court cases in a row weren't enough and her office had scheduled her to work on yet another case. She was tired, overworked, and still had to get over to the SVU squad room. It was unlike them to ask her to come down there, but she worked there in a way too. Knowing about Jasmine's death had only stressed her out more. She was a stubborn woman though, and she didn't scare easily. There was the promise she had made to uphold the law, and nothing would prevent her from doing that. For years she had managed to keep her job and personal life separate, and she didn't want to change that yet. She knew that Elliot and Olivia would back her, but still she didn't want them caught in her own mess.

Grabbing her purse, she made her way down to the squad room. She noticed Olivia at a desk filling out a report, and she smiled at her. "You wanted to see me?" Olivia looked up at Alex, and tried not to treat her as a suspect. "Did you know Jasmine Harrison?" Alex sat down across from Olivia's desk. "Am I in trouble?" Olivia didn't like that answer, she heard it from suspects not innocent people. "Alex you are our only lead in this case. Now I will back your play here, but don't make me treat you like a suspect. Now did you know her?" Alex looked at the pictures on Olivia's desk before sighing. "Yes I knew her." Olivia nodded; she had a way of doing that when she heard an answer she liked. "Alright good, how did you know her?" Alex took out a photo of Jasmine and herself from her purse showing it to Olivia.

Olivia looked at the photo, Jasmine's arm was wrapped around Alex's waist and both were smiling. "That was taken two weeks ago. I met Jasmine after a court case, she wrote me about becoming a lawyer." Olivia handed the photo back to Alex smiling. "You two look happy." Alex smiled slightly pausing to look at the photo for a moment. They had been very happy two weeks ago, and now Jasmine was dead. "We were very happy, she changed so much recently though. I knew she was having a hard time adjusting, but I thought she was alright." Olivia started writing a few facts down, and then looked back up at her. "Alex I need to know about the last night you were with her." Alex looked at the picture before putting it away sighing; this was all one big mess.

Alex looked at Olivia while she spoke. "She was going to go to law school, and I was giving her advice. We used to meet at this twenty-one or over place. Her father didn't know she was a lesbian, and she wanted to keep it that way. She thought it might hurt her chance at getting into a good law school, even with her father being a judge. One day she didn't show up, and I called her friend to make sure she was alright. She said she was, and she had simply lost interest in law. Last night I got a phone call, and it was Jasmine. She was worried said she got into some trouble with this guy at her new club hangout. I went to pick her up, but she wouldn't leave with me." Olivia wrote down her statement, and Alex casually signed it. "Do you know the guy's name?" Alex nodded. "Yeah, Ryan Stewart."

Olivia noticed how the squad room was empty, and they were alone. "Hey Alex, just between us are you attracted to women?" Alex blushed softly hearing Olivia's question. She had kept her personal life a secret for so long. "Yes Liv." Olivia looked at her surprised. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time we've worked together and I didn't know?" Alex looked at her a bit surprised that such a fact would bother her. "Liv I'm sorry, I just tried to keep my work separate from my personal life. I didn't know it bothered you so much." Olivia blushed while sitting on the edge of her desk now closer to Alex. "Alex, it's not that it bothers me. It's the fact I found out from bartender in a gay bar that my best friend is attracted to women." Alex looked at Olivia surprised that she had called her a best friend.

"Am I truly your best friend?" Olivia bit her lip surprised that Alex had caught that. She was embarrassed to show her emotions so openly. Usually she was a reserved person, and hid her emotions from the people she worked with. "Alex we work together all the time. We've gone out to get drinks together. I have no life outside of this job. You're the best friend I have, and right now this case is getting personal." Alex shook her head taking Olivia's hand in her own, the gesture between them was more intimate than she had intended. "Liv, I will do everything I can to prosecute the person who did this. I promise you that this case is just going to get easier now. If you need to talk about anything, I'll listen." Olivia felt Alex's touch and for a minute it felt quite intimate.

She looked into Alex's blue eyes, and saw they were kind and caring. For Olivia it was hard to imagine Alex in anything but a close relationship. This was her life now, and her job left little time for a love life. "Alex do you want to go get a drink?" She looked up at Olivia a bit surprised, but nodded. "Yes, tonight I need a drink." They grabbed their coats, and Olivia's phone rang. Only Elliot would be calling her this late, and she knew that work never stopped. Sure enough when she answered the phone she heard Elliot's voice on the other end of it. "Liv, you might want to come down her. Got another body found same everything. Body left in an alley clothes on fire, better get down her fast." Olivia looked at Alex across the room and sighed, their drink would have to wait.

Olivia hung up the phone knowing Elliot would run by and pick her up on his way in. "Sorry Alex, another victim was found the drink will have to wait." Alex smiled slightly nodding. "Hey it's alright. Just be sure we get this guy." Olivia was a bit surprised to see Alex so attached to this case already letting it show through. "Hey Alex?" Alex looked back at Olivia before she left. "Yes?" Olivia shook her head suddenly looking down at her desk as if searching for something. "Nothing, we're going to find who did this I promise." There was a slight hesitation on Alex's part, as if she hoped Olivia had something else to say. She left though as Elliot was walking into the squad room. He watched her leave before looking at Olivia, a little curious as to what happened.

"You two talk about something I don't know?" Olivia walked to the elevator before she answered him. "Alex gave us a new lead. Jasmine told her this guy she met was trouble. We'll have to follow it up after going through this crime scene." Elliot smiled slightly as they got in the elevator. "Don't give me that Liv, something else happened. I'm your partner, so I can tell when you're deflecting." Olivia smiled a little hearing Elliot tell her that. "You just spend too much time with me, we both need a break." Elliot shook his head as they got in the squad car. The light was attached to the top of the car, and the siren made it hard to talk. Elliot had to shout to be heard over the loud siren. "She made you smile. You haven't smiled like that in a long time. What'd she say?"

Olivia was surprised by Elliot saying she seemed happier. Could she really feel for Alex more than what she thought? That possibility had often occurred to her, but now it was a different story. She knew Alex felt the same way she did, at least about women. However Alex didn't know how she felt and that would be hard for Olivia to admit. Relationships were often one sided for her, if they happened at all. Elliot noticed how quiet she suddenly was, and let her think. They were on their way to crime scene, and that often meant leaving your personal life inside the car. He didn't talk about the job at home, and it was ruining his marriage. What could he do? Telling them all the details of work would terrify the children, and sicken his wife. She often begged him to talk about it, but he simply put those images in her head.

Olivia got out of the car and walked over to the crime scene. Melinda was already there, and commented on Olivia's clothing. "You haven't changed which means you haven't gone home yet. You ever sleep?" Olivia smiled trying not to remember just how overworked she had been lately. "What do we got here?"Melinda looked up at Olivia, then at Elliot while speaking. "Girl's been dead for about four hours now. There are markings on her wrist, which indicate a struggle before she died. Some fluid left inside the victim, maybe we'll get a match in the system. I'd say it was the same guy, everything seems to be the same pattern." Elliot cursed under his breath; he hated serial rapists more than anyone else. His rage often got the better of him, and swearing was one form of an outlet.

Elliot took time to look at the body, most detectives didn't. He needed to, in order to see the victim as a person. After doing this job for as long as he had, he started to see bodies instead of people. He hated his job, but that's what made him a good detective. Both Elliot and Olivia had agreed on that fact, you had to hate this job to work it. "Hey Doc., how old is the vic.?" Melinda looked at Elliot and shook her head. "Hard to say right now, but looks to be around fifteen to eighteen." Olivia looked at the body now covered in a white blanket. It was always done after the initial crime scene had been processed, and the body marked. She was still just a kid, and now her life had been taken from her. Olivia was haunted by imagining what this young girl had gone through in her last moments.

Olivia picked up the phone and started to dial Alex's number. Maybe she'd know the victim, they'd been lucky to identify her already. An I.D. had been left in her purse, along with two hundred dollars. The crime certainly had been a mugging gone badly wrong. Olivia hung up the phone before Alex could answer; part of her wasn't ready to tell her yet. Elliot noticed her hang up the phone, and made a mental note to talk to her about it later. At the present, they'd have to run back to the lab and see what Melinda had found on Jasmine's body. It was their only lead until the new evidence was processed, and that could take weeks. Meanwhile the press was starting to hang around the area. The story of Jasmine's death was about to hit the newsstands, and with it the public's opinion of the case.

The public never made a case easier, and the knowledge that a serial rapist was out there would terrify the public. If they didn't get this care wrapped up soon, the public would start to take matters in their own hands. Olivia knew that they'd have to go back to the club and find out who Ryan Stewart hung out with. If they could find him, they'd at least be able to follow another lead. Elliot wanted to head back to the autopsy room, and so they agreed to go there first. Sometimes forensic evidence made their job easier, but in some cases it made their job harder. They didn't know what it'd be this time, but they had to follow all leads. Olivia got back in the squad car with Elliot thinking about how she hadn't slept yet, and had only gotten two hours the night before. They definitely needed a break not from each other, but from the case.


	4. Chapter 4

The evidence at autopsy was circumstantial at best, and they'd need a confession to convict. Apparently it wasn't one of their lucky days, the only good evidence being some DNA that could connect Ryan Stewart to the crime scene. Elliot looked at Olivia as if wishing they'd gone after Ryan Stewart sooner. This case was starting to tire all of them, and soon the squad room would turn into a battle ground between them if they didn't rest. Olivia's phone rang, and she saw that it was Fin. He usually called her instead of Elliot due to the disagreements between the two. Both of them had attitudes that didn't mix well, and it was a hard working environment. "Liv, we did a little research on your guy. He's a college student at St. Cecilia's."

Olivia looked at Elliot while clipping her phone back in place. "We have to go; Fin says Ryan Stewart is a student at St. Cecilia's college." Elliot drove them both to the school, and Olivia saw why he knew right where it was. It was a Catholic private college, and Olivia wondered if any of Elliot's kids went to school here. If they did, this was probably the only way he'd get to see them while at work. They managed to get the dorm room number, but they'd have to knock without a warrant they couldn't even search for evidence. Elliot knocked on the door, which to Olivia seemed more like a loud bang three times. Finally someone answered the door, and Olivia just stared. Elliot managed to pull out his badge, and act like nothing was odd. "We're with SVU, do you mind if we come in and ask some questions?"

Ryan Stewart opened the door to his dorm room for them a little more. "Sure come in, what's the sex police want with me?" Olivia tried not to stare at the guy, he had a spiked mohawk complete with eyebrow and lip piercings. His clothes on the other hand weren't as colorful, straight black with blood red print. "How'd you get into a private school like this?" Elliot laughed slightly, but he wondered the same thing. Ryan simply lay down on his bed, which lacked a little color as well. "What? I can't be Catholic and dressed like this? I'm an artist; I use my own body as a canvas detective." Olivia regretted ever asking the question, but then noticed a vile around his neck. "What's blood have to do with your artwork, must have been painful to get all those piercings."

Ryan looked at Olivia before getting up off the bed. "Blood is life in liquid form detective; in your line of work you see that every day. As blood flows out of a person, so does their life drop by drop. To possess the blood of a person is to possess their life. That is what my artwork is all about, but I don't think you came all the way here just to ask that." Elliot looked at Ryan wondering if he'd truly gone insane. He met all sorts of creeps in his line of work, but this kid actually looked the part too. "Where did you get such an idea?" Ryan laughed looking at Elliot, as if he knew something about him that Olivia didn't. "You religious detective?" Elliot had many things he didn't talk about on the job, and religion was one of them. "I don't talk about my personal life."

Ryan laughed pulling out one of his paintings, and handed it to Olivia. "You know detective if you were religious, you'd understand the connection of blood in my art." Olivia had never really been a religious person in her life. Her hard childhood and her current job had made her lose faith a long time ago. Still she could see what Ryan meant; his art had dark religious followers marked with crosses in blood. Olivia handed the artwork to Elliot, and then looked at Ryan again. "Well I certainly think you have a talent for painting, but tell me what's that have to do with the blood you have around your neck." Elliot looked up from the artwork looking at Olivia; she'd noticed what he hadn't. Ryan smiled at Olivia; most people never had the guts to ask him about the blood.

"It's a gift detective; many people in our culture use these." Elliot set the artwork down; he'd had enough of this kid. "I don't remember anyone giving me their blood in a vile necklace. Try again, where did you get that necklace." Ryan laughed a little, he didn't feel any of the pressure from Elliot that he should have. "One of my girlfriends gave it to me, and I still wear it." Olivia tried to piece the statements of what she knew so far together. Ryan was turning out to be a harder person to figure out than she thought. Finally all the statements made sense to her, and she looked at Ryan in a new way. "You're a vampire. That's why you have the blood necklace, who gave it to you. I don't care about your secrets, your society, or even if you've read one too many horror books. All I want to know is if we test that blood will it be Jasmine Harrison's?"

Ryan stopped looking at Elliot, and turned his new attention to Olivia. "You're smarter than he is, and just as to the point. I knew Jasmine very very well." Olivia was starting to think of Ryan as more dangerous, even though he was just a kid. "Where'd you meet her?" Elliot looked at Olivia, and she could tell he had had enough with this kid too. "I met her at a club, she sweet a little innocent though for my taste. I didn't mind, her blood tasted better knowing I was the first. She let me take some for this vile too." Elliot stopped Olivia before she could ask her next question. "You said you knew her, how'd you know she was dead?" Ryan smiled a little looking at the detective. "I read the paper, as hard as that is to believe. Current events are very important, wouldn't you say detectives?"

Olivia simply nodded; she wanted to get back to the squad room. "You willing to take a DNA test if you're innocent?" Ryan shook his head no; he knew what having a DNA test meant. "I'm not about to give you my blood." Elliot laughed at him this time, a little amused by how he was so protective of his own blood. "It's a mouth swab, no blood needed." Ryan shrugged looking at both of them. "I do this, and you leave me alone?" Olivia smiled at him. "Yeah it really is that easy. We can even do it now; our M.E. can do it for us." He looked at both of them, and then put his artwork away. "Alright, how long will this take?" Elliot opened the door; they needed a rush on this DNA test. He couldn't even begin to count how many times guilty people willingly gave up their DNA.

Alex noticed Olivia and Elliot walk back into the squad room. They simply sat at their desks, and for a moment Alex considered simply leaving the room. Elliot noticed she was there and smiled. "Alex, what brings you back here?" Olivia looked up at Alex and saw how awkward she felt not knowing if Elliot knew yet. "I heard you have a suspect." Elliot nodded sitting back in his chair. "Yeah, some kid who thinks he's a vampire." Alex stiffed slightly, she knew that anyone thinking they were a vampire was a good indicator of another psychological defense. Olivia noticed how tense Alex was, and felt truly bad for her. "Hey Alex, you hungry? We have awhile before the results get back." Alex smiled a little at the idea of food; she hadn't had a meal all day.

"Sure, I haven't had a meal since I went to work this morning. Where would you like to go?" Elliot laughed at the two of them. "You two sound like you're on a date. Have fun, and I'll call if the results get back early. I'm going to crash, and finally get some sleep." Olivia looked at Elliot wondering what made him joke like that. "Alright Elliot, we won't be gone long." He simply nodded, and then went back to some paperwork. Olivia got in the car with Alex and smiled a bit, she didn't know what made her so happy to be alone with her for once. "Where would you like to go?" Alex smiled a little trying to think of a place. "Olivia you really didn't have to do this. I promised you a few drinks, so where do you like to go for a good drink?" Olivia laughed a little at Alex. "I'm still on the job, but I think I know a place."

Alex smiled getting out of the car with Olivia; she had taken her to one of her favorite restaurants in town. "Aren't we a little undressed?" Olivia just shook her head shutting her car door. "Are you kidding? You look great; everyone knows I'm a cop. They expect me to dress like this, or at least that's what Elliot always tells me." Alex smiled as they crossed the street, unable to keep from noticing how Olivia seemed generally happier. It was as if there was something she was keeping a secret from Alex, and yet she knew that Olivia wouldn't do that. They walked into the restaurant, and got a small two person table. The place was almost empty, due to how late it was in the afternoon between lunch and supper. "Looks like we don't have to worry about being under dressed."

Olivia couldn't help but smile at the comment Alex had made. "I thought we could use some alone time, to just talk." Alex smiled a bit; Olivia was always trying to think of other people. "What did you want to talk about Liv?" She smiled a little; finally someone she was out to dinner with didn't want to talk about her work. The last guy Olivia had dated had wanted all the details of her job, and that had been the last time she ever dated him. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you know?" Alex nearly choked on her glass of water. Olivia certainly had a way of asking her questions directly. She recovered and smiled a little before setting her glass down. "I just never had an interest in men growing up, and I always felt there was something missing. The first time I dated another woman, it just felt right. When she kissed me it was special, there was that spark I didn't have with anyone else."

Alex looked at Olivia and wondered what she'd say. She had been quiet, and Alex wondered if she had been too personal. Much to her relief Olivia finally spoke, and it was simply another question. "So you just knew? There wasn't any second guessing after that?" Alex smiled a little amused at how people always thought she second guessed her sexuality. "No, after that moment I didn't want anything else." Olivia sipped on her lemonade before looking at Alex. They began to eat the small order of appetizers they'd order, but Olivia was lost in thought. Alex noticed how quiet Olivia was, and she had a good idea why. She still had to wait till Olivia was ready to ask what she needed too; it was often hard to accept how you felt. Alex simply took another drink of her water, and felt Olivia brush her hand against her own.

Her touch felt wonderful, even though it was simple. Alex hadn't been on a date in awhile, and now she knew how much she missed the closeness. This was Olivia however, someone she had a working relationship with. She wasn't even sure if she liked women, let alone if she liked her. Olivia's touch however, had been enough to make her hope it were true. "Alex, I was just wondering if you could help me." Alex looked at Olivia a bit surprised but nodded, their hands hadn't separated yet. "What is it Liv?" Olivia looked at Alex starting to slowly slide her hand away. Without thinking Alex laced her hands with Olivia's. "It's okay Liv, I think I know what you want to ask." Olivia froze, Alex had known all along what she wanted to ask. "Will you kiss me?"


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia's phone rang interrupting Alex before she could even speak. "Liv." Elliot looked at his watch, and sighed. It was already past their shift time, and yet their shift was starting all over again. "How fast can you get here?" Olivia looked up at Alex and shook her head. "I can get back within ten minutes with the siren why?" Elliot's relief could be heard even over the phone. "The DNA wasn't a complete match." Olivia ran through what he was saying, and then it suddenly made sense. "You mean it was a family member?" Alex looked at Olivia and understood what she was talking about. There wasn't much in their job that they didn't understand easily. "Yeah Liv, we have to go back and question him again to see if he has any family members that would have met the victim."

Olivia hung up the phone, and looked at Alex as they got up to leave. "Sorry we have to cancel dinner like this, but at least you get to ride in a car with a siren." Alex laughed as Olivia winked at her, it had been an inside joke between them. She had once told Olivia that she had always wanted a squad car with a siren just for driving to work. "If I'm good can I press the button?" Olivia smiled while opening Alex's door for her. She was blushing again, and something inside her didn't want to leave just yet. It was hard being a detective and still having a social life. Being a detective meant you couldn't simply not pick up the phone. When you knew picking up the phone meant another person had been raped or a child was in danger, you tended to pick up the phone.

Olivia got in the car, and put the light on the car's roof. Alex managed to hit the button before Olivia did out of routine. "Well, I guess I did say you could hit the button." Alex couldn't help but smile, as Olivia began to drive them back to the squad room. "Liv, you know about what we were talking about. If you ever want to after this is all over, I'd be more than happy to help you." Olivia took her eyes off the road and looked at Alex a bit surprised. "You'd do that for me?" Alex almost laughed at how shocked Olivia seemed to be. "Relax, of course I would. It's not like you're a stranger to me. You're curious and I want to help you find out. Someone had to help me remember?" Olivia looked back at the road, pulling in front of the building. "Thanks Alex, I'll remember that when this case is solved."

They got out of the car, and rushed up the steps taking them three at a time. It was hard in Alex's high heels, but she managed. Olivia never wore high heels at work, and Alex couldn't remember a time when she'd seen her in any at all. Maybe Elliot was right, and Olivia always dressed like a cop even off the job. She walked into the squad room, and Elliot grabbed his coat, badge, and gun off the desk. "Alright you ready?" Olivia grabbed her badge off her desk, and got a heavier coat on. "Yeah, all ready to go car is outside waiting." Elliot began to walk out with Olivia, before he processed what Olivia had grabbed back in the squad room. "Liv, we have to go back real quick." Olivia looked at Elliot a little surprised; they never forgot things not even when rushed.

Elliot looked at Olivia trying to find the nearest place to turn around. "You forgot your gun Liv, you only picked up your badge off the desk." Olivia smiled a little at Eliiot. "We don't have to turn around; I always carry my gun on me. Stop acting like such a cop all the time." Elliot looked at Olivia noticing that she didn't carry her gun on her hip. "Alright so where do you keep your gun then?" Olivia blushed a little seeing that Elliot was always going to notice the small details; she'd been trained to do the same. "Well, I don't carry a purse." Elliot smiled a little as they drove back to the college. "That limits the possibilities for sure." Olivia smiled removing her gun from her lower leg around the ankle. She clipped it to her belt without saying anything.

Elliot parked the car, and laughed while getting out. "If this kid offers to drink your blood are you going to let him?" Olivia gave Elliot that look her classified as a scolding look only meant for him. "You're not seriously asking that are you?" Elliot laughed knocking on the dorm room door, and Ryan Stewart opened the door wearing just a simple pair of basketball shorts. "What do you two want this time?" Olivia spoke before Elliot could; he seemed a little pissed already. "You were right; your DNA wasn't a match. There was however a match to one of your family members. We need to ask you about that." Ryan opened the door reluctantly letting them into his dorm room. "Come on in then, you have a way of interrupting my sleep."

Olivia entered the room, as Elliot looked at Ryan. "It's only the afternoon, what are you sleeping for?" Ryan sat down looking at Elliot as if he was stupid again; it was obvious he didn't like him. "I have night classes detective, remember I prefer the nighttime?" Elliot sat down across from looking at Olivia; he noticed her oddly staring at Ryan. Elliot decided to get on with the harder questions and skip small talk. "Do you have a brother?" Ryan shook his head, he didn't have a brother. "No, I'm an only child." Olivia noticed the tattoo on Ryan's shoulder. "Who's Brian?" Ryan looked up at Olivia and smiled a little bit. "Should I be worried you spotted that tattoo all the way over there detective? Brian is my best friend here at college. He's not a vampire, but he's not a sports guy either."

Olivia smiled a little, looking at him to see if she could spot anymore tattoos. "You got a tattoo for your best friend? See now that seems a little bit more than just a typical friendship, you two blood brothers?" Elliot looked at Olivia wondering what she was doing. "No we're just friends; I got the tattoo when he got sick. I was a match to his blood type, so I donated some for him. He didn't get better though, he died last year." Elliot looked at him, actually managing to feel generally sorry for him. "That must have been hard for you. I know that you don't exactly like to give your blood to anyone." Ryan just nodded; he didn't want to talk about it. Olivia tried to be more motherly, but it was hard for her. "We need to know any of your relatives that knew Jasmine."

Ryan looked at Olivia before shaking his head; he didn't want to say anything. "Come on, you can't expect me to do that. Family is supposed to stick together." Elliot looked at Ryan, and then looked around his room. There were no family pictures anywhere; nothing looked like it wasn't his, Elliot didn't think he had a family. "Hey the way I see it, you don't have a family do you? They don't call, they don't write, do they even visit you?" Olivia looked up at Elliot; he was starting to treat Ryan like a suspect again. Ryan looked at Olivia; he hated Elliot more than anyone at the moment. "My dad met Jasmine once; she said that he was just creepy. I didn't think much of it, she only met him once. I thought maybe she was just nervous and things hadn't gone well."

Olivia nodded at Ryan; this was the break they needed in the case. "Can you tell me where your dad lives?" Ryan wrote down the address for her, and then looked at Elliot. "You ever insult me again and I won't talk to you again, I'd rather rot in prison." Elliot got up leaving him there to simply get past his own anger. Olivia got in the car and told Elliot where they were going next. "You know Elliot he's right, you should have been better than that. He's not a suspect anymore, so what's the problem?" Elliot shook his head. "I just think he's not telling us something." Olivia looked out the window at the house. "Is this the right address? This place is a slum." Elliot got out of the car; this was definitely the right address. Olivia slowly followed Elliot to the front door being careful; she was never sure what she'd find in these places.

A guy answered the door, and Elliot flashed his badge for the guy. "I'm detective Stabler, this is detective Benson, we're with SVU. Can we come in and ask you a few questions?" Joseph opened the door, and let them in. "Yeah sure, what did I do this time?" Olivia knew that was never a good sign to start an interview. "Did you know Jasmine Harrison?" Joseph tensed a little bit, and Elliot noticed it instantly. "Yeah I knew her, only met her once though." Olivia nodded a little bit. "We met with your son a couple days ago." Joseph looked at the two detectives and smirked a little bit. "He's a piece of work isn't he? Thinks he's some kind of vampire, I kicked him out of the house soon as he turned eighteen." Olivia noted it was safe to say the father didn't like his son very much. "Did he ever have any problems as a kid?"

Elliot looked at Olivia wondering where this was going, but he let her continued. Joseph simply looked relieved for a moment. "Is that what this is about?" Elliot looked at him a little curious. "What do you mean?" Joseph sat back a little bit, a sign he was more comfortable around them now. "When he was little he used to just hang out in the graveyard, he'd write these depressing stories. Teachers used to call me all the time saying he displayed signs of abuse and depression, but I never laid a hand on my kid. I didn't care what they said to me, I knew the truth." Olivia looked up from her notepad. "We're not saying you abused him, we just want to know what happened to Jasmine. Your son said you met her once, did she seem like a stable girl?"

Joseph nodded slowly. "Yeah, she was actually a sweet young thing. She was too good for him though, and I think she knew it." Elliot looked at Joseph and sighed. "Will you volunteer to a DNA test? We ask all the males the victim knew, it helps clear them." Joseph thought about it for a moment, he didn't know about his son's DNA test. "Yeah I'll volunteer, just tell me where and when." Elliot nodded, hoping this was their guy. "We'll have you fill out a few forms, and then you can come by the station tomorrow any time." Joseph nodded slowly. "Alright, but what forms do I have to fill out?" Olivia tried to smile as best she could. "Oh it's no big deal really, just a consent form for our records." Joseph nodded as Olivia handed him her card.

Olivia looked at Elliot as they got back in the squad car. "Guess we have another case to work." Elliot looked at her and sighed. "Liv you can't be serious." He knew what she meant, and he didn't want to work that case. "I'm serious Elliot. If Ryan was abused he still has time to report it, next year will be too late for him." Elliot sighed. "Fine, but if he doesn't report it we drop it." Olivia nodded wondering why Elliot hated Ryan so much. She cared about the victims, and she tried to help everyone she could. "Alright, let's run by the station. We need to get the paperwork ready, and let them know about the DNA test tomorrow." Olivia simply nodded wondering what Ryan had possibly been through. He came across as different on the surface, but that was probably a defense now and that bothered her.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_

_I just want to apologize for the long time it took me to update. Writer's block is mainly to blame, but I promise to update much more often than I have been. Thank you again for all the great comments, they mean so much to me. Just a little warning about this chapter, it contains swearing. If you don't like swearing, you may want to skip certain parts. Also this is basically my attempt at an interrogation scene, I tried to keep it rated T. Please let me know if I need to change that. Thank you so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. =)_

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Elliot slammed the door behind him; the interrogation room was darker than it usually was. That's why they had waited to question Joseph until the afternoon. Elliot looked at him sitting there in the chair, and pictured Jasmine under him. Cases for Elliot often became harder for him towards the end, and his thoughts were proving to be difficult now. For him, he could hear Jasmine's last final screams, could see her tears as she was violated, and the images made him sick to his stomach. This is what made him fill with rage before each interrogation, and sometimes he had a hard time controlling it. "You know Joseph; I think you're nice guy. Son's a bit crazy, but that's not your fault. You got a home, a decent living it seems, but your wife left you. Bitch got half of everything, and left you with her son to take care of."

Joseph looked at Elliot, and relaxed a little seeing he knew what it was like. "That whore wrecked my life. She got herself a younger man, and I'm paying for it all. The house, the fancy car, the vacations, and she don't even call." Elliot sat there for a moment listening to him, and he took off his wedding ring. He set down on the table across from Joseph, and looked at it for a moment. "You see that? I wear it just to remind myself of my ex-wife. She took everything, and I'm the one paying for it! You have to be kidding me! I got her back though, found myself a nice young girl." Joseph seemed to pay more attention now, and Elliot knew he had him hook line and sinker. This was the part he had to be very careful with; it had taken him years on the job to learn how one pedophile talked to another.

He let Joseph open up the door between them, and Elliot knew that his bait had worked. "How young?" Elliot leaned over the table a bit, his voice just a faint whisper. "Between us? She's only seventeen, but she can't keep her hands off me. My bitch of an ex-wife would die knowing I got a hot girl waiting for me at home." Joseph smiled a little bit from what Elliot had said; he wished he had the same luck. "There isn't anything wrong with it if they like it. Sure they might protest at first, but they love it don't they?" Elliot smiled and gave Joseph one of his quiet almost withheld laughs. "Yeah they do what about you? I bet when your son brought Jasmine home you were all over her. No way could your son love a girl like that, she needed a real man didn't she?"

Joseph looked at Jasmine's picture, as Elliot tossed it out on the table. "The first time I saw her, she was in this short skirt. Could see her perfect legs, all those curves that drive us men wild, and I knew she wanted it." Elliot leaned in a bit, a way to show he wanted to hear more without actually saying anything. Sure enough, Joseph began to continue without much prompting. "She came by the house once; said Ryan needed a father again. I knew what she really wanted, and I started to kiss her. My hands feeling her warm smooth skin, and she started pulling away. Didn't know she wanted it so rough, but she wouldn't stop struggling. They always struggle at first don't they?" Elliot felt his hands grip roughly onto the table, he wanted to the man right then and there.

He needed a confession however, and it wasn't an easy task to simply listen. Joseph's question hung in the air, and Elliot sat back in his chair. He nodded a bit as he put his hands behind his head. "I smack her hard, which knocked a little sense into her. She still struggled a little, but the fight had started to drain out of her. Figured she'd come to terms with what she wanted, no shame in liking older men. Little bitch bit my lip when I went to kiss her again, and I had to tie her down." Elliot made a mental note about what Liv had said. Jasmine's wrist had noticeable marks that had possibly been from a rope. Now Elliot knew why, the girl never had a chance. Joseph was three times her size, and with her wrists bound it was overkill. Elliot looked down at the table, and listened as Joseph continued.

"With her hands tied I couldn't remove her clothing, so I ended up tearing it off her. She was so perfect to look at; her body didn't have a flaw except that tattoo. Can you believe it? The girl was a lesbian; she really needed a man to have her. God she was great, won't ever have better than that. It had to end though, bitch threatened to tell Ryan." Elliot looked up at Joseph; he wanted him to hang himself. "If you couldn't have no one else could. It was a simple self defense; she was going to tell everyone. They just wouldn't understand, so it was better this way." Joseph smiled at Elliot, he understood him completely. "You know detective, I'm glad we understand each other so well. I'm glad I killed that bitch when I had the chance, she would have ruined my life all over again."

Elliot smiled, this time it was a wider smile than ever before. He picked up his wedding ring off the table and put it on. "You know Joseph, I'm glad we had this conversation. I've got everything I need to watch them stick that needle in your arm." Joseph looked up at Elliot as he stood up, and Elliot didn't even look back as he walked out of the room. He ignored Alex and his Captain, and took the long walk to the locker room. At first he was going to take out his frustration on the lockers, but he stopped for a moment. He grabbed his keys and made the drive down to the Medical Examiner again. There was just something he had to do, and he knew the others wouldn't understand it. This young girl was more than just a victim; she deserved so much more than a cold slab to lie on.

Elliot looked at her face, which had long since been burned by the fire. He took comfort in the fact she hadn't been alive when it happened, yet he wished for her to be alive now. This was the hard part of his job, at the end of the day the wrong couldn't be made right. Jasmine's life would never be returned to her, and her killer would enjoy the moment locked in a cell. Reaching into his wallet Elliot pulled out the vile he had found at the crime scene with her things. At first he hadn't understood what it was, but Ryan's words had finally sunk in. He truly did believe that blood could save his soul, and Jasmine had believed that in her own way too. Elliot gently put the necklace around her neck, and then stared at it for a moment. A simple vile of Ryan's blood, the blood of the man she would have turned to for help even when his own father had been the cause of her suffering.

Silently he got back into his car, and made the drive all the way back to the squad room. Olivia wasn't there, and he wondered where she could have gone. It didn't take long for him to figure it out however, when Fin noticed him there. "Your partner had to our squad car, where'd you go? Captain said you just rushed off after Joseph's confession." Elliot shook his head; he didn't have time for Fin's questions anymore. "I had to go to the Medical Examiner, had to care of a loose end. Where'd Liv go?" Fin looked at Elliot prepared to give him a harder time, but the look in his eyes made him choose not to. "She went back to interview Ryan. Said something about him being a new case, she wanted to work on it right away. You know Liv, she gets crazy just sitting here knowing there's a victim out there."


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia walked into the office noticing the details. She'd been a detective long enough to know she couldn't help it. The fact was that being a detective was in her blood. Her tough childhood had turned her into one of the best detectives on the squad, and her years of service far multiplied that of the average detective. The details here weren't much, as it was one belonging to a high school. White walls were decorated with posters about unlimited potential. Olivia couldn't help but think of how many students would be robbed of that potential. This case hit a little close to home for her, she'd seen Ryan as a living breathing person. He was odd yes, perhaps a bit crazy even, yet she hadn't known him before he became a victim. For once, he was the living victim that didn't seem like a victim at all.

The inner door to the office opened, and Olivia noticed the man that she was supposed to talk to. She judged him to be new to the job; at least he still looked young. In the cut throat world he stood out to her. A student walked out behind him, and it appeared that the student had been in trouble. When the student left, the man introduced himself and Olivia smiled. "Detective, what can I do for you? I run this school, and I assure you that you have my full cooperation. I'm Samuel Jenkins by the way." Olivia shook the hand he offered, and then nodded. "Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, you can call me Olivia." Samuel nodded to recognize the fact, and then got right to the questions. "What can I help you with?" Olivia nodded as they started to walk down the hallway near the office.

Olivia noticed how the students seemed in their own world, a world that found safe and secure. "You once had a student here by the name of Ryan Stewart. Do you remember him?" Samuel nodded, but he was hesitant. "I should say this, but he was hard to forget. I mean look around you detective most of the male students wear jeans and a simple shirt. Ryan one day started wearing all black, and one student said he called himself a vampire." Olivia could understand where he was coming from; she could recall a few students like that in her own school. "So he was a normal teenager until one day it all changed?" Samuel sat down at one of the small tables located in what seemed to be the lunchroom. "No, he became withdrawn, wore dirty clothes, lost his friends, and he even had to come to my office a couple times."

Olivia wrote down a few of the facts, and then looked at him. He had gotten her coffee, and she gently sipped at it. She could tell the questions were only to grow before they lessened. "A couple of times? What was the reason?" Samuel looked at his own coffee, which wasn't as warm as Olivia's. He had to admit he liked the detective, and he had gotten her fresh coffee. Samuel knew she wouldn't notice, but he was subtle when he liked someone. "He had gotten out of control when someone touched him. Went it this mode where he wouldn't talk. A few teachers worried about it, and they sent him to my office. I tried to calm him, but he always backed away from me. I'm no fool detective; I know the signs of an abused child even when the child is a teenager."

There was a slight pause in their conversation, as they both needed a drink of their coffee. Olivia had never met a man comfortable with mentioning the word abuse, let alone talking about it with her. There was a slight hesitation to talk with him about anything. Most men she had gone out with if they didn't get uncomfortable by it, they wanted all the sick details of what happened. "So you knew he was being abused, what did you do?" Samuel shifted in his seat a little, and Olivia noticed that it wasn't because the seat was uncomfortable. "I called his father to report the abuse, but he didn't care. How a parent can't care about their own child is beyond me. " Olivia shook her head, she wondered how many times there were going to be people who did the minimum amount they could to help an abused child.

There was a slight break in the conversation as they had to leave the lunchroom. Students were filling the room in for lunch, and the room was too loud for their conversation. "Do you know of anyone that took a particular interest in Ryan? Anyone he was suddenly uncomfortable around?" Samuel looked at the floor a moment. It was clear to Olivia that he knew of someone, and that he was trying to find a way to say it. "There was one teacher he had that he never liked. Whenever he had a class with him he try and transfer out of the class, and finally we stopped scheduling him classes with the teacher all together." Olivia knew that must have been difficult, most schools were under staffed now. The fact that Samuel had gone out of his way, made Olivia have faith that people knew how to do the right thing again.

She got out her notepad again, which was already filled with notes, and looked up at him. "I need the teacher's name." Samuel looked down, and then cleared his throat. He took a slow drink of coffee, hoping the warmth would help clear his throat. The coffee was now cold though, and he still felt uneasy. "Detective, I usually don't do this, but is it necessary to tell you?" Olivia looked at him, a bit surprised by the question. He seemed sincere in his want to help her, but he knew it was also important to have that name. "Yes, it is necessary. I assure you if they're innocent we'll clear them without incident." Samuel sighed softly before nodding. "Alright, his name is Mark, Mark Jenkins." Olivia's reaction was noticeable, and Samuel nodded without her having to ask. "Yes, he's my brother."

Olivia now understood why he hadn't been so eager to tell her. Another case where there seemed to be a family connection, it was the last thing she needed. "I'll question him today for you, what class does he teach?" Samuel got up, and helped Olivia get up as well trying to be polite. "Let me walk you there, he teaches history. Always had a thing for history, wanted to relive the detailed lives of others I suppose." Olivia found herself laughing a bit, she knew a guy like that once. They stopped outside the door, and Olivia walked into the classroom alone. Mark was shocked to see Olivia suddenly in the classroom, but smiled trying to be kind. "Can I help you?" Olivia at first had to get over the shock; she didn't know what to say. "Yes, you can start by telling me if you know Ryan Stewart."

Mark looked at her for a moment, he had dropped everything. "I haven't heard that name in a long time, and I wish not to." Olivia smiled a little looking at him. "Guilty feeling getting to you?" Mark slammed his hand on the desk. "My only regret is that Ryan had to go through what he did!" Olivia laughed. "Then why'd you do it?" Mark froze his eyes met Olivia's and kept her stare. "I did not hurt him! Do you think Ryan would write me if I did? It's my brother! You were shocked we looked alike, how do you think Ryan felt? I'm a reminder of the abuse he went through, and he trusted me. I failed to protect him, and he couldn't look at me without reliving it. He broke down in my classroom. Detective you arrest my brother, and I'll take the stand."


	8. Chapter 8

Alex walked into the squad room, she was extremely unhappy. Generally she came across as sweet and caring, but when angry she had a reputation of being quite mean. She had lost her temper a few times, and regretted what had been said in the past. Alex always tried to remember that now, but sometimes it was hard to control it. She felt passionately for her job, as she was the one victim's families blamed. There was a need to uphold the law, and yet sometimes the law could be the most frustrating part. Alex managed to open the door to the entrance before the interrogation room rather civilly. Her voice however indicated how angry she was. "What have you done? Did you arrest someone without first talking to me about it? When we have a suspect and I don't know even what evidence we have, I look like an idiot."

Elliot looked at Alex, and it was obvious he didn't like this either. "The guy is a total idiot, and we don't even have a case!" Alex looked at Olivia confused; she had never heard Elliot doubt a case right away. Either the case was sunk, or something had gone terribly wrong. She tried not to jump to conclusions, but one couldn't help it with Elliot. "What did you interrogate the suspect and get carried away again? How bad is he hurt?" Olivia looked at Alex, and then began to laugh. Elliot hadn't found this funny, but Olivia seemed to lighten the mood in the air. She was constantly amused by Alex lately, and Elliot couldn't help but wonder about them. He had tried to control his anger, but he was in denial about needing any professional help with it. These people were scum, and in his eyes they shouldn't even have rights.

The fact was however that Olivia was laughing because Elliot hadn't lost his temper at all. In fact, Elliot was madder at Olivia than he was with Alex. "The problem is the person hasn't filed any charges. It's not that I lost my temper, we haven't even questioned him." Alex rubbed her forehead to relieve the pressure from her suddenly oncoming headache. This was going to turn into a lawsuit if she didn't handle it correctly. "Let him go, we can always charge him after. Tell him there was a mix up, otherwise he can sue the city for false imprisonment." Olivia nearly jumped on Alex as soon as she told her to let him go. "Alex, this guy is a potential rapist. How can we just let him go like that? If you're so worried about getting sued, you shouldn't have become an attorney!"

Elliot looked at Olivia shocked by what she had said. "Liv, that was out of line. You're letting this case get too close to you." Alex looked at Olivia; she had to hide how hurt she was. If there was one thing she had learned from the past, it was to let the hurt show behind closed doors and keep fighting. "Get the person to file charges or there's no case. I'm sorry, but that's the law and I can't change it." Elliot watched as Alex just walked out of the building. She had left rather quickly, and Elliot couldn't help but wonder if she was hurt. The father in him had taught him to tell when someone was hurt, and Alex was extremely hurt. It wasn't normal for her to react that way, and he looked at Olivia. "Liv, you really hurt her. Is something going on between you two that I don't know about?"

Olivia froze slightly, and then moved rather quickly hoping that he wouldn't notice. Elliot had spent more time with her than he did his own family, and he did notice. He was suddenly concerned; Alex and Olivia had always been good friends to each other. "Liv talked to me, I'm your partner. If you can't trust your partner, you can't trust anyone." Olivia's hand halted on the door handle and Elliot could hear her sigh. He knew that between partners the bond had to still be trusted, and Olivia knew that too. She turned to look at him, and suddenly she froze. "We'll talk as soon as we let him go." Elliot nodded, and then watched as Olivia opened the door telling the suspect he could go. The man wasted no time in leaving, and Elliot felt nothing about it really. He didn't particularly like this case, and that affected his judgment.

Olivia walked back into the room, and Elliot stared at her. She didn't speak, but she crossed her arms as if not knowing what to say. Most people would see this as defensive, but for Olivia it was a sign she was vulnerable. "Liv, whatever it is you can tell me. It's Alex; you two have known each other a long time. What could possibly make you two hurt each other like this?" Olivia took a deep breath; she was violating so many personal rules. She was perhaps already breaking the most important; don't mix your home with your work. "You were right El, Alex and I have something going on between us. I broke a rule, and I'm sorry." Elliot looked at Olivia a bit confused for once. "What rule did you break with Alex? It doesn't sound like either of you to break a rule. Come on Liv, you can trust me."

Olivia looked at him for a moment, and then knew she'd have to break it to him gently. She had just tried to tell him, and he didn't understand. "El, do you ever get a gay vibe from me?" Elliot stared at her for a moment; he couldn't help but be hesitant. "I know you date men Liv." Olivia shook her head. "You're avoiding the question." Elliot laughed rubbing the back of his neck, it was a sign he was nervous. "It's not a vibe; you're just good with it. I've never seen someone able to understand the gay community like you do. Maybe it's just that you get along well with people. I can see how someone would get that vibe though." Olivia looked at Elliot for awhile, she wondered if he'd put two and two together. He thought for a moment, and Olivia could tell when he finally put the two things together.

Elliot looked at her for a moment, as if debating his thought process was correct. He seemed to struggle with the question even. "Liv, are you and Alex…Well, are you going out?" Olivia rested against the wall, and Elliot noticed then how lost in thought she was. Her hands seemed to grip the wall, as if it would give her more than physical support. She didn't know what her relationship with Alex was anymore, and part of that gave her the answer. "Alex and I are very close Elliot, she offered to be there for me. I'm curious, and I wasn't ready to admit that to anyone." Elliot looked at Olivia, this was certainly the last thing he'd expected to hear from her. He didn't know quite what to tell her, and suddenly all the advice he had did him no good. She was his partner though, and he wanted to help her out with this.

Elliot decided to tell Olivia what he knew best, and hoped that it would be enough to help her. "Liv, you're a beautiful woman. Anyone would be lucky to have you, and that means regardless of their sex. I have to ask, what made you start thinking about women?" Olivia began to stop using the wall for support. "I don't know it's a new thing for me. It's not that I don't like men; I've just never been successful with them. I'm wondering if it's because I'm meant for women." Elliot looked at Olivia and sighed. "Liv, that just means you haven't met the right person." There was a slight silence within the room for a moment, and there was even a bit of tension that could be felt. For a moment, they tried to speak. It came out in jumbled mess, and then it hit her. "Elliot, do you like me?"


	9. Chapter 9

**_Author's Note:_**

I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to update this. College classes have been keeping me busy, but I finally had time to update this story. I should hopefully be able to finish it within the next couple days. Thank you for being so patient and continuing to read this story. Thank you to the people who leave comments, they're much appreciated. =)

* * *

Alex heard a knock on her office door and looked up. At first she was surprised to see Elliot, but then remembering how she had left it wasn't too shocking. "Hey Elliot, come on in. I'm just working on getting the paperwork ready for the case." Elliot sat down across from her slightly surprised; they still hadn't talked to Ryan yet. "Alex, we don't have anyone to press charges yet." There was a bit of silence as Alex continued to work on the paperwork, but then she looked up. "Olivia is really passionate about this case, she'll get Ryan to press charges." The comment surprised him, but he knew that she was right. "Alex, back in the squad room, what happened with you and Liv?" Alex stopped working on the paperwork for a moment, and sat back just studying Elliot for a moment.

Elliot knew he shouldn't have asked, but they were a team, he needed to know. "Olivia just crossed a line, and it got to me. I'm used to people crossing lines, in this job you have to be. I just don't like to show it, and that caught me off-guard." There was a slight smile from Alex, as if she were trying to make the situation lighter somehow. "Alex, did it hurt more because Liv likes you?" There was an awkward silence in the room, and Alex shut her off door. This was now more of a personal matter than a business one. "How'd you know? Liv didn't want to seem to tell anyone yet, and I certainly haven't told anyone." There was a slight comforting smile from Elliot, and looked at her. He rarely saw her worried, but it showed easily.

He wondered how many times someone would forget how close this job made everyone. "She's my partner. If you don't know what's going on there's something wrong. I asked her about it after you left like that." Alex seemed relaxed a little; he wouldn't tell anyone just to tell them. "We aren't serious; we're just trying it out. This job doesn't leave us time for much of a relationship outside of work. You don't mind do you?" Elliot looked a bit surprised; to him it wasn't any of his business who his partner dated. "Alex, you know me better than that. I don't care who a person dates." There was a slight silence as if she was thinking the answer over, but then she had a question of her own. "Elliot, you've worked with Olivia a long time. You two have gotten really close, do you have feeling for her?"

Elliot was caught slightly off-guard by the question, and now it had been twice within two days. "She's my partner. It would ruin our relationship if we became more than that." The answer wasn't one she had been expecting. It seemed more like an excuse than a real answer, but she let it go. "When are you going to talk to Ryan Stewart?" Elliot was surprised how quickly the subject went back to business, but that was the way things often were for them. "Soon as it becomes morning." There was a slight laugh from Alex at his response. "He's a vampire isn't he?" Elliot shifted slightly; he didn't like Ryan much as a person much less as a victim. "Yeah, supposedly." Alex smiled at him before answering. "Then he's awake. I saw people in that club up until now too."

Alex watched as Elliot walked to the door and waited until he opened it to say anything. "Good job on the case yesterday. That confession was what we needed, the guy took the deal." There was a hesitation to ask, but he asked anyway. "What did he end up with?" Alex smiled proudly at him, she always liked being able to put the squad at ease. "Two sentences of twenty-five to life in prison without the option of parole." Elliot nodded slightly, as if that were just a silent thank you. "Good job." Alex watched him leave the office, and it seemed as if he were happier. It often felt like her job was to stop the people who the squad found, but it was never that simple. Alex rarely saw the victims, and it made it hard to feel compassion. Sometimes her job made her angrier, and made her lose sight in the world as a good place. Work was a challenge, but at the end of the day, the people who went to prison belonged there.

Olivia watched as Elliot got back and grabbed his coat. "Where you going?" He looked at her and picked up her coat for her off the back of her chair. "We, we're going to question Ryan Stewart about pressing charges." There was a surprised look on her face, but that didn't stop her from putting on her coat and grabbing her gear. "Elliot, it's two in the morning." On their way out of the station, he finally answered her question. "Liv, relax. Alex said vampires from that club stay up all night. Ryan always sleeps in the afternoon remember?" Olivia looked at Elliot before getting in the car, had he really just said that? She knew he didn't like Ryan, but was he starting to finally see him as a victim? The answer she wanted probably wasn't going to happen, but the rest of the ride there was about Alex working on the charges.

Olivia knocked on the door this time, not really expecting Ryan to answer. When he did, she was slightly shocked both that he answered and from what he was wearing. Elliot looked at him, and remembered why it was so hard to see him as a victim. "Hey, can we come in and asked you a couple questions?" Ryan opened his door reluctantly, and then walked further into his room. "What is it this time? I heard you put my dad in prison, he always was bound to end up there." Olivia was surprised by his harsh words, but she knew the pain behind them. "What your dad did isn't your fault." Ryan went to his desk and shut the notebook on it. Elliot was surprised to see that he had been studying. "You study this late?" Ryan nodded, for him it was a normal routine. "I got out of class at ten, went out to the club after. I always study when I come back."

Elliot was starting to see there might be just a typical college teen under all those Gothic scene items he worse. Ryan sat down, and Olivia sat across from him. "Ryan, we spoke with the principal at your high school. He said you used to be different than what you wear now, that you dressed like everyone else. Why did you change?" Ryan looked at her for a moment; he didn't really have an answer. "My life went to hell. I only thought it was appropriate to show it on the outside too." There was a slight silence, but Elliot broke it. Ryan, you wanted to show me a painting last time I was here. Do you have any from when you started being so different?" At first he was hesitant to let Elliot look at any of his art anymore, but it was a part of him.

He got the first painting he ever did, and handed it to Elliot without much of a glance. The painting was truly dark in nature. If Elliot didn't know that Ryan was a victim, he might consider him a potential abuser in the future. The painting seemed to capture so many familiar images burned into Elliot's memory. "Why would you paint something so dark?" Olivia looked up at Elliot shaking her head. She didn't expect Ryan to open up that way. "I paint what I know, sometimes it just happens." Olivia looked at the painting and then thought for a moment. "Ryan, when we were at your school we spoke to one of the teachers there. Your history teacher really seemed to remember you as a bright student, and was worried you became so withdrawn."

There was a slight hesitation from Ryan, but he sat there as if he had a huge weight on his shoulders suddenly. "You mean Mark; he used to help me all the time. He tried to help me find a better outlook on life since my father wasn't there for me." Ryan got up and dug through his dresser. He handed Olivia a photo of him and Mark. "He used to take me to the museums here, and we'd just spend a day there. He told me one day I could display my art in places like that." Elliot noticed how he didn't keep the picture out, or in a frame for that matter. "What happened to make you withdraw from him?" Ryan sighed; he figured they must know already. "His brother, his brother was a monster that deserves the deepest place in hell."

Olivia looked at Elliot, she hadn't wanted to make Ryan relive the abuse in his mind. There was no way to stop that now however, and she simply had to be careful with her questions. Male victims often opened up to women more, so she hoped Ryan would be one of them. "Ryan, would you be willing to come down to the station with us?" Ryan looked at her, his eyes filled with both hate and sadness. It was a normal look for a victim that hadn't found the closure they needed. "What for?" Elliot answered before Olivia could, he expected Ryan to handle this well. "We need to take your statement of what happened during the abuse. We need your statement and consent to press charges." Ryan nodded slowly. "Alright, just don't expect this to come easily."


	10. Chapter 10

**_Author's note:_**

I just wanted to explain a little bit about this chapter. It's not too different really, but the way I wrote it was different. I wasn't sure to be graphic, or to simply try to show the character's emotions. I think I ended up with the later. Also, I'm currently taking legal classes at the college, because of this I'm aware of not asking leading questions. I tried not in this chapter, but if there are any I apologize. That's in no way a character fault, but an author's flaw. Thanks for reading! =)

* * *

Ryan sat in the interrogation room a little nervous. The room was naturally depressing, even for him. Olivia and Elliot had worked hard to find a different room, but they were all taken and unavailable. He would simply have to deal with the depressing atmosphere. Still, the room wasn't that bad. They had offered him something to drink, and he accepted it. Ryan didn't really like Elliot, and he didn't think Elliot liked him either. There was the take charge attitude though that Ryan appreciated, and he tried to put the rest behind him. Naturally, he was nervous about having to talk about the abuse. He'd be forced to relive every detail, but that was nothing new. He had relieved every detail ever since high school, and even when he left nothing changed.

Fin looked at Alex wondering what she was doing there. She usually didn't watch a victim giving their statement, but then again this was going to be different. "Alex, do you really think this guy is credible?" Fin's question interrupted whatever thought she had, and she turned to look at him. "It's not going to be easy. He looks more like the stereotypical teenager who is mad at society. If he's willing to change his appearance for court, I don't see it being an issue that'll hurt his case." Fin looked at her a moment, he wanted to ask her why she was there but knew better. He was also a private person, and he tried to respect that personal line with others even at work. It wasn't easy; they were all a family in which everyone looked out for the other, and Fin never really did have a family before.

Olivia sat down so that she was closer to Ryan than Elliot was. He had accepted the can of soda, and was now halfway through it. She wondered if perhaps his mouth got dry when he was nervous, just like she did. "Ryan, when did it start?" There was a slight silence; this was always the point of no return for the victims. If they admitted it, they'd be forced to accept that it happened and all the guilt along with it. "I was around fifteen, and I was always angry at people. One day I got called to his office, and I thought I was going to be in trouble again." Elliot looked at Olivia not wanting to make him clarify who, but they needed to. "Whose office did you get called to?" Ryan looked out one of the protected windows; he hated saying this more than admitting that the abuse happened.

He knew he would have to though, and he managed to look up at Elliot. "He used to run the school I went to, especially the high school. His name is Samuel Jenkins, and he's the one whose office I went to." Olivia gave a comforting smile, and waited a few moments before asking him more questions. Silence sometimes comforted people in this situation more than any words. "When you got called to his office, what happened?" Ryan shifted a bit in his chair, he was getting closer to having to relive this moment in his life. "I was told to sit down, and I did. If I was going to get in trouble, I didn't want to make it worse you know? He started telling me though about how much time I spent with his brother, and that-that it made him upset."

Elliot looked over at Olivia; they had interviewed enough witnesses to learn to communicate with their eyes. He saw that it was okay for him to question Ryan, and he tried not to be too upsetting. "He was upset that you were spending time with your teacher?" Ryan nodded, but looked down at the table. "Samuel asked if his brother ever touched me, said he was worried about me…" Elliot tried to picture what Ryan was saying, where this was going to go. He had heard this story too many times between pedophiles and their victims. They often felt like they owned them, and if anyone else ever took them away it often made their behavior escalate. "It's okay Ryan, what happened wasn't your fault. You were just a normal teenager. Your teacher took you in to help you, and his brother abused that relationship."

Elliot noticed Olivia shaking her head, and he stopped speaking for a moment. Olivia's voice was naturally more comforting, and he knew that it would help. "Ryan, after he asked you, what happened?" There was a silence, but Elliot noticed Ryan was fighting back tears now. "I told him no, that it was never like that. I think maybe I yelled at him, because I thought he was implying I liked guys and I don't. When I yelled at him though, he smacked me." Olivia noticed Ryan was crying now, and she knew that this was part of the process. She wished that this part of the job got easier, but it never did. She would never get used to a victim crying, showing her all their pain at once. There was a silence in the room, and Olivia sat there feeling helpless knowing this wasn't going to undo what happened.

Elliot went to comfort Ryan, and just put an arm around him but stopped. This was a sexual abuse victim, touching him could possibly make this worse. He did the only other thing he knew, and continued the interview process. "When he smacked you, did he say anything?" Ryan looked up, and managed to wipe the tears from his face. He wanted to appear stronger than he felt right now. "Yeah, he said that he owned me. He said I shouldn't disobey him…that if I were good…I wouldn't get hurt." Elliot nodded, as if giving approval that Ryan had answered him. There was a fine line between trying to comfort the victim and questioning them. "What happened next?" Ryan drank some of his soda, and looked out the window. He didn't want to talk about this.

Olivia noticed his hesitation, and she looked out the same window. It was raining now, and she wondered if Ryan found that comforting. "It's okay Ryan, you can tell us. Whatever happened isn't your fault." Ryan looked at her for a moment, and it seemed to make him feel a little less guilty. "He told me to do as he said. He went to the door, I think he locked it. I felt his hand run down my chest while I was still in the chair, and his fingers brushed against my lips. He said….said he was going to mark me…." Elliot sat across from Olivia, this time he was close to Ryan again. He didn't seem to care, because he had broken down into tears again. It hurt Elliot to picture this abuse, but it kept him strong in order to do his job. "How did he mark you?"

The question hung there in the air, and Elliot asked it again this time putting a little force behind his voice. Ryan quickly looked up at him, and began to answer. "He made me…touch him…kept telling me how much I liked it. He kept telling me if I was good…he'd touch me too." Elliot tried to remain more forceful; Ryan actually seemed to be comforted by it. "Did he touch you?" There was a slight hesitation, but it died quicker than the others. "Not at first. He made me…made me…put his thing in my mouth…he kept saying how I was being a good boy for him." Olivia looked at Elliot, and saw that he didn't want her to ask any questions yet. "Did he do anything else?" Ryan looked down, and Elliot waited this time for an answer. He didn't want to push Ryan too far during this process.

There was a slight hesitation, but Ryan finally managed to make his words come out right. "He started touching me…" Elliot noticed how the words just hung there in the air, and he knew why. He didn't want to make him say it, but it was necessary. "When he touched you, what happened?" Ryan began to get tears in his eyes, but Elliot noticed how he held them back. "I got aroused by it…and he laughed at me. He said he knew I liked it, and that we'd do this every day." Olivia looked at Elliot and stopped him before he could ask the next question. "How many times did it happen?" Ryan shook his head. "I don't know, he'd make me do it every day sometimes. The sick part was I started to like it…I started to want to make him happy." Elliot stood there regretting now how he had been a little forceful.

Olivia gently smiled at Ryan, and spoke softer than before. "We see that all the time when the abuse is repeated. It's a response to what you're going through. If you want, we can get you help. I know it's not much, but if you want someone to talk to we can do that." Ryan nodded slowly; he really did want help now. "I'd really like that." Olivia smiled at him, as if she were a comforting parent. "Okay, let me go see if I get a few numbers for you." Ryan watched her leave the room, and then he looked up at Elliot. "You're one of them aren't you?" At first Elliot didn't understand, and he asked without thinking. "One of them?" Ryan looked out the window away from Elliot. "One of the people like the guy who did this to me. The way you talk, the way you always stand higher than me, and the way you comfort me. You're just one of them, using your position of power to dominate someone else aren't you?"


	11. Chapter 11

Elliot sat there wondering why Olivia had left him alone with the victim. He couldn't believe that he had felt sorry for Ryan at one point. This punk kid had actually accused him of being a pedophile, when he was trying to help him. Elliot's anger fumed from the insult, and he had to work hard to actually hold it back. He didn't have time for this, and the last thing he needed was another complaint in his file. For a moment he thought about it, countless of rapists had accused him of being just a slight step away from them. Elliot could never imagine that being true, he had a family and never thought of his kids that way. He was hardly even home trying to keep guys like that off the streets. Ryan's insult went too far, and Elliot simply couldn't let the kid go without explaining it.

Elliot rolled up one of his shirt sleeves, and then sat down across from Ryan. "You see this scar? I got this from a man throwing me through that window. Now if I'm one of them why do I lock people like that behind bars? I've literally given everything to this job." Ryan studied the scar for a moment and then looked at him. "The way you talked to me wasn't normal! You manipulated me just like he did!" Elliot could tell Ryan was getting upset, but he knew anger often followed bottled up emotions. "I talked to you the way I did because it made you more comfortable. Victims often don't like males around them at all, and you seemed comforted the more commanding I was. Relax, I'm not like that and never will be." Ryan looked at Elliot and this time threw a punch that Elliot managed to dodge quickly.

In reaction to the punch, he quickly pinned Ryan down against the table. He grabbed his wrists and held his arms firmly behind his back. Ryan screamed in frustration, and struggled simply to get out of Elliot's grip. Elliot wondered where the hell Fin was, but it didn't appear that he was going to help with this situation. He simply held Ryan there until he started to relax and stop struggling. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you try to hit me?" Ryan began to struggle again, and Elliot simply gripped his wrists tighter. "Let me go!" Elliot looked down at Ryan wanting to let him go, but unable to until he calmed down. "Just calm down, stop struggling and I'll let you go. I just don't want you to take another swing at me." Ryan took a deep breath and stayed still, and after a few moments he felt his wrists released.

There was a silence in the room, and Ryan sank down to his knees on the floor. He began to cry and looked up at Elliot. "I'll be good, I swear. You don't have to restrain me like that. Please!" Elliot stood there the guilt hitting him like an out of control truck. Ryan was literally begging him not to hurt him, and with his past he knew why. There was the sound of Ryan's cries filling the room, and Elliot hated himself the more time passed. He should never have restrained Ryan like that, and now he didn't know what to do with the teen on his knees in front of him. "Ryan, get up off the floor. I won't hurt you or restrain you." Ryan looked up at him, then managed to stand up simply standing there looking at Elliot. The look in the boy's eyes scared him; they had lost a light that had been in them before.

The guilt still ate at him, and Elliot turned to look out the window. He felt a hand on his shoulder and another around his waist. Ryan's body was only inches from his own, the touch gentle as if longing to comfort him. "Please, don't be mad at me…I'll be good from now on…" Elliot went to gently push Ryan off him, fearing that a usual action of that kind might make him even more afraid. He turned and saw how Ryan didn't move, his hands now sliding lower than they should have been. Elliot grabbed his hands, and removed them from his body. He didn't understand this, or where Fin or Olivia was to get him out of this situation. Ryan looked at Elliot hurt, as if stopping him had literally burned him by the touch. There was an awkward silence once again in the room, leaving this weight there as well.

The sound of rain hitting the window filled the room, and Elliot was almost grateful for it. The sound of the rain made the lasting silence a little less loud. Ryan looked at Elliot studying his features; he could almost pass for his abuser. Not in looks, but their actions were quite similar. They both had that very demanding nature, and Ryan felt that inner pull inside him. The pull inside him that never went away, that urge to please the person who he served was now fully there. He hadn't been able to be released from it since the day he graduated. Ryan had been a constant prisoner to the memories of the abuse, and the urges it created inside him ever since. There was never any turning back for him, and part of him knew that now. There was always going to be another dominate male in the world.

Elliot looked back out the window, the more distance he had from Ryan the better. He heard Ryan's breathing behind him, and he turned around prepared to simply push Ryan away. Before he knew it, Ryan's hands were around him again. Elliot tried to pull his hands free, but Ryan seemed to have other ideas. His lips met Elliot's own, and for a brief moment Elliot could only accept the unwanted action. Ryan had pinned him against the wall, and yet when Elliot didn't kiss back he stopped. There was a hurt look on his face, and Elliot heard the door to the room open. He had never been more grateful for Olivia in his life. "Where the hell were you?" Olivia looked at Elliot and then looked at Ryan, she could tell something wasn't right. That's when Fin entered the room with Dr. Huang, and then he understood why they hadn't rescued him.

Dr. Huang looked at Elliot, and then saw how Ryan behaved around him. The behavior was noticeable even to him this early. It was the way Ryan looked at Elliot, yet never made eye contact with him that stood out most. "Elliot would you mind if I asked Ryan a few questions without you?" Elliot certainly had no objection, and went shrugged. "Not at all, I need some air." Ryan quickly grabbed Elliot's arm, and tugged roughly. "Don't leave!" Elliot looked back at Ryan stunned, and tried to force the boy away. Dr. Huang shook his head at Elliot. "Elliot, that won't work. The more you reject him the more he'll want to be near you." Elliot looked at the doctor like he was crazy, but managed to stop shoving Ryan. The boy quickly wrapped his arms around Elliot, and rested his head against his chest.

Not exactly sure how to respond Elliot gently ran a hand through Ryan's hair, hoping to comfort him. "What's going on?" Dr. Huang looked from Elliot to Olivia, and then to Ryan. "He's trying to cope with the abuse. You became forceful with him when you questioned him earlier, that made him identify you as his abuser. He wants to please you, so that he can feel loved again." Elliot sighed, and looked at Huang at least grateful to know why he had suddenly been the obsession of Ryan's affection. "How do I make it stop?" Ryan looked up at Elliot confusion on his face. "Why would you want it to stop? Don't I please you?" Dr. Huang motioned to Ryan, as if it had been exactly what he was talking about. "You have to make him feel loved Elliot."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **

Okay, so mainly this is just a warning in case anyone didn't know. It feels kind of redundant, but I thought it was better to just warn everyone again. This fanfic is a girl/girl based story. If this offends you in anyway please don't take it out on me for writing it. With that said, this is also a more adult themed chapter. I feel I kept it reasonable, but I never really know what's appropriate to most people. If you're offended in anyway, I apologize but you've also been warned ahead of time. If none of those things bothers you in anyway, thanks for reading. =)

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Olivia walked out of the interrogation room; she was a little frustrated at the whole situation. Most of her anger was towards Elliot. He had messed up this case badly; their victim was now begging for Elliot's affection. Elliot had pushed the kid too far, and now Olivia wondered if she hadn't done the wrong thing. She tried to get justice for Ryan, but now he was going to live with the abuse every moment again. Images of her mother reliving the rape occurred to her, and she quickly fought them away. Getting a file out of her desk, she slammed it down a little too hard. Alex jumped slightly from it, and Olivia jumped noticing her there. "Sorry, I didn't know you were even there." Alex smiled after regaining her composure. "It's okay; please tell me that what happened in that room didn't actually seem as bad as I think."

There was a slight laugh, and it actually surprised Olivia how much pressure lifted just from laughing. "It's worse, he's head over heels in love with Elliot." Alex knew Olivia didn't usually joke like that, but lack of sleep and desperation were getting to her. "Hey, do you have any time off?" Olivia nodded, but looked at the pile of files on her desk. "Yeah, I was supposed to go home an hour ago now. Since our victim isn't able to really file charges, there isn't much we can do right now." Alex looked around before speaking softly to Olivia. "Would you like to maybe go out to lunch? No distractions, I promise." Olivia felt herself blush slightly, she had never really been asked on a date by a woman before. "Sure, where are we going?" She grabbed her coat, and looked at her phone before switching it to vibrate. "I thought maybe, if it's okay with you, we'd order take out and eat at my place."

Olivia waited while Alex picked up their food, and then helped her carry it inside. Alex's house wasn't at all like she had imagined. It was well decorated, and even looked a little lived in. "Your place is great Alex, my place barely even looks lived in." Alex smiled, she was glad that Olivia liked the place. She would never admit it, but she had cleaned for a couple hours just on the off chance she ever came over. "It's not much, but I'm actually barely home here." Olivia smiled at her, and Alex handed her some food then got her own. They sat across from each other on the couch, and ate in silence at first. "Alex, I've known you this long and this is the first time I've seen your house." Alex gently set her food down, and smiled. "I know, we never really do have much time out of work do we?"

There was a silence as Olivia shook her head no in response. "I don't think they should even bother giving us vacation days." Alex laughed, and watched as Olivia set her food down as well. "I don't want to waste any moment we get then…" Her words hung there for a moment, and Olivia knew it was an invitation. She wanted badly to do more, but she was still nervous. Her body moved closer to Alex on the couch, but her movements stopped just short of her. Alex gently straddled Olivia's lap resting there looking into her eyes. "If you're not ready for this, I understand. All you have to do if you don't like it is tell me to stop and I will." Olivia wrapped her hands around Alex's waist fearing that her lack of response would make Alex pull away, and she tried to respond.

The words wouldn't leave her throat, and Olivia looked up at Alex. Her eyes seemed so inviting, so full of a love she had never seen before. Whether it was longing or love she didn't know, but Olivia found herself slowly kissing Alex. Their lips met, and Alex's hands slowly wrapped around Olivia. Alex slowly ran her tongue along Olivia's lips, and moaned from the sweet taste. Olivia felt her lips part, wanting Alex's tongue to invade her mouth. Her desire was quickly met, and she could feel her tongue playfully circling Alex's. Her body seemed to know what to do with this newfound pleasure, and it put her even more at ease. The kiss broke only due to the need for air, and Olivia playfully pushed Alex onto her back. There was the silent communication of need between them, and Olivia found herself parting Alex's legs.

Elliot looked up at Ryan; he had refused to leave his side ever since Elliot had wanted to leave. Huang stayed close by, but left them alone for the most part. "Ryan, aren't you tired?" There was a slight silence, but Ryan had been taught never to lie before. The painful memories of being punished were still strong in his memory. "Yes, but I don't want to leave you. Please don't make me leave." Elliot managed to smile at him, and nodded. "I won't make you leave. Why don't you just come rest?" Ryan stood there shocked for a moment, his eyes filling with a bit of hope. "Really? You mean it?" Elliot nodded at him; he was surprised by his own willingness to do this. "Yes, I wouldn't hurt you would I?" Ryan smiled starting to walk closer to where Elliot sat. "No, you wouldn't." Elliot took Ryan by the arm, and led him slowly out of the interrogation room.

Getting Ryan out of that room had been a challenge. Elliot was glad to see other people, to hear the busy atmosphere of the squad room. He noticed Olivia was gone, but he didn't blame her for going home to rest. "Fin, I'll be upstairs. I need rest, if anything happens wake me." Fin looked at Elliot surprised seeing Ryan was with him. "You're going to sleep? What about Ryan?" Elliot looked at Ryan and then at Fin. "He's tired too." Elliot just let the words hang there, and then Fin nodded slightly. "Okay, as long as we know where everyone is." Ryan let Elliot lead him up the stairs, and hesitantly asked Elliot what that was all about. "Why did he want to know about what I was doing?" Elliot looked at Ryan a little amused. "You're not supposed to be left alone here; it's still a police station."

Ryan looked down at the floor again fearing the worst. "I won't get you in trouble will I?" Elliot smiled slightly. "Of course not, everyone understands the situation." Ryan smiled content with the answer. "Okay." Elliot laughed slightly, he hadn't really seen Ryan smile all that much. "Well, I guess you'll need something to sleep in. I have an extra set of clothes besides the ones I need. They'll be big on you, but you can wear them." Ryan nodded, and followed Elliot to his locker. Elliot wondered if Ryan had become like a lost puppy following the first person he could home. "Here." Ryan took the change of clothes Elliot offered without saying anything. He watched as Elliot began to change, and Ryan tugged on Elliot's shirt. "It's okay; you don't need to do this."

Ryan simply let go of the shirt and stood there waiting. Unlike before, he didn't feel rejected by Elliot's refusal. The refusal seemed more like a command, and that was okay with him. Elliot looked at Ryan a little surprised, he hadn't changed. It occurred to him then that Ryan was used to having someone control him, and that meant even what he did with his body. "Undress and change into the clothes I gave you, then come back when you're done." Elliot left the room, and waited just outside the door. He sighed, part of him felt like a creep for making Ryan do that and then leaving. When the door opened a few minutes later, Ryan stood there looking at him. Elliot managed to pull him beside him. "Good, now come on let's get some rest."

Fin wondered what Elliot could possibly be thinking having to be followed around by another guy like that. It bothered him, but what else could he do to make the situation any better. Truth be told, Fin never really did like Elliot much, his temper always got in the way. Fin noticed that Olivia wasn't there, and wondered where she could have gone. The phone rang, and he picked it up. He listened, and then hung up frustrated. This new development wasn't going to make anyone happy. Managing to walk up the stairs Fin went to wake Elliot. He saw Ryan snuggled to him in his arms, and the sight made him stop. There was no way Elliot was going to be able to leave Ryan's side, and so Fin chose not to wake him. He went back downstairs and called Olivia's phone praying she picked up.

Olivia stared into Alex's eyes, her hands rested on Alex's knees keeping her legs parted. She was now unsure of whether or not to do this, and Alex smiled at her. Olivia found comfort in her smile, and began to slowly slide her hands down Alex's legs. Olivia's fingers were trailing gently across Alex's skin getting closer to her waiting sex; Alex's breathing becoming slightly shallow from want. Olivia felt her phone vibrating against her hip, and looked at Alex. Her expression was one of need and want, and Alex smiled up at her. "Answer the phone, it could be important. Olivia answered her phone and sighed; when she hung up she looked at Alex. "I need to go, and so do you." Alex sat up surprised, she could see the disappointment in Olivia's face already.


	13. Chapter 13

Fin waited just outside the prison cell for Olivia. The space was crammed the once open hallway filled with officers and medical examiners. He finally noticed Olivia walking down the hallway, and Alex behind her. Fin noticed how they both seemed preoccupied, but didn't think too much of it. He didn't know what had upset her, but he certainly didn't want to contribute to it further. "What's going on? It's been a couple hours, why aren't these people gone?" Fin looked behind him back to the prison cell and shrugged. "You know how these people are. An inmate gets killed and they take their time." Olivia sighed and looked into the cell a little further down the hall. "How'd it happen?" Fin didn't even hesitate to tell her; to him the man deserved to be dead.

Still, he tried to keep his statements clear and based on the facts only. "You know what they do to pedophiles in prison. This guy had a mark on his back the moment he got locked up in this place." Olivia knew that to be true, and simply nodded. "Well, was he raped?" Fin looked at her strangely for a moment. "Not that we can tell." Olivia managed to cross her arms a little frustrated. "Well then why are we dealing with this?" Fin shrugged, he didn't know the answer to that himself. "We just got called in probably because we put this guy here." Olivia let her anger show a little bit; she didn't need this interruption to her private life. "They want to stick us with this? We didn't put him here he did! The moment he raped Jasmine Harrison, he gave up his rights."

Olivia noticed a few people staring at her; they had clearly heard her outburst. She was always being taught they couldn't pick the victim, but this guy clearly wasn't a victim of rape. "Do we really have to work this case?" Fin thought about it for a moment and then looked back at her. "No, if there wasn't a rape we don't have to. We just got called as a courtesy." Olivia looked back at Alex with this pleading look on her face. Fin noticed for a moment, but he didn't say anything. He often kept his personal life from those at work, and he didn't want to interfere with hers. Olivia looked back at Fin and he smiled a little. "I guess you can get some rest again if you need to." Olivia blushed slightly, and Alex smiled grabbing her hand. The gesture didn't go unnoticed, but it seemed so small for the impact it had.

Alex looked at Olivia, and then smiled at Fin. She knew that he could tell they were close now, but she didn't know just how much he had figured out. "Thanks, but what about Elliot? Is Ryan still glued to him?" Fin tried not to laugh from her question remembering how Elliot had fallen asleep with Ryan snuggled up to him. "Liv, there's nothing you can do about that is there?" Olivia thought about it, and looked at Alex knowing he was right. She looked at her watch, and then cursed slightly under her breath. "It's seven a.m. already?" Fin checked his watch, but saw that hers was still correct. "Yeah it is." Alex smiled slightly. "In that case, why don't we get breakfast?" Fin looked at them both and looked back at the crime scene. "Why don't you guys go without me. I don't feel much like eating."

The place was less busy than Alex had expected. Most of the lawyers from her office came to the restaurant, but then again it was a little late for their break. Alex had the good fortune of working odd hours; as long as she put in the time her boss didn't care. He understood that working for SVU had its own challenges, and hours was certainly one of them. Alex ordered her usual breakfast, which didn't really consist of much. She usually only ate a few pieces of toast and had some coffee, but this time she was quite hungry. Olivia simply snacked on her food, preferring to watch Alex out of the corner of her eye hoping she wouldn't notice. "You know, you keep staring and people might start to wonder." Olivia blushed, and quickly took a drink of her coffee.

The coffee was better than she expected, but much too hot for her. She burned a bit of her tongue, and took a drink of her ice water hoping to calm the burning sensation. Alex laughed slightly at how Olivia blushed so easily, as long as she had known her she'd never seen it before. "I wasn't." There was a slight laugh from the statement. "Wasn't what? Fully staring at me perhaps?" Olivia smiled knowing she had gotten caught. "I knew everyone says I act like a cop but you? I never thought you'd start acting like one." They both laughed and continued to eat their food. "Alex, about last night…" Olivia wasn't sure how to say what she wanted to, and he words once again got caught in her throat. She noticed Alex grab her hand gently, and she was met with a smile as well.

Alex knew what this must be like for Olivia, at one time she had been uncertain as well. "I enjoyed last night, I just wish we didn't have to stop like we did." There was a slight silence, and Olivia took a drink of her coffee hoping the words would come easier. "I enjoyed last night too, I've never felt it so intense before." Alex blushed a little from the comment, the truth was neither had she. "I know it must be hard for you, to question all this. If you need time to think it over, you can tell me and I'll understand. I want this to feel right for you." Olivia looked down at the table, she hadn't expected that. "I'm a little confused, but being honest I don't regret a single thing." Alex smiled and looked at her watch sighing. "We have to get going, if I don't show my face around the office they'll start to worry."

Elliot woke up and went to get out of bed but stopped. He looked down to see Ryan curled up to him, and noticed how he was still sleeping. At first he didn't see any harm in just going to change, but he knew if Ryan woke up before he got back he'd only panic further. Elliot took the time to simply study Ryan closer than he had before. His hair was now a tangled mess from sleeping, and his body seemed warmer than before. What Elliot noticed most though, was how Ryan seemed completely at ease. His breathing was slow and relaxed, and this left Elliot to wonder what he could possibly dream about. Ryan began to stir against him, and his questioning eyes looked up at Elliot. "You're up already?" Ryan smiled seeing that Elliot had stayed there content to simply watch him sleep.

Ryan snuggled closer to Elliot, and he found his affection returned. Elliot's strong arms around him made him relax, and he felt content for once in his life. "Thank you…" There was a silence between them as Elliot held him there, but then he heard what Ryan had said. "What do you mean?" Ryan smiled, and then playfully wrapped his arms around Elliot. "You're not like the others. I was completely wrong about you. You actually have a caring nature; you don't just want to use me for what I can give you. When I tried, you pushed me away. It's clearly not what you want is it?" Elliot laid there shocked, how could Ryan change this much after just a night's rest? "It's not that I don't like you. I'm sure you're a wonderful guy, but I'm not going to abuse you. Ryan, you're not under my control…you're free to be you now."

For a moment, Ryan just laid there in Elliot's arms taking everything in. Had he actually heard right? How could someone give him control over his own life again, he truly didn't know the answer to that. Part of him didn't want to be in control of his own life, but he knew more than anything it was finally okay. The abuse he suffered hadn't been his fault, and his response to the act had been normal as well. Ryan's guilt managed to fade more than it ever had before. Elliot felt Ryan sit up, and managed to look up into his eyes. "You never have to thank me, it's my job." Ryan bent down and began to kiss Elliot, and for a moment, he felt the kiss returned. Elliot looked up at Ryan as there was a questioning look in his eyes. "Don't tell anyone, but I thought you could at least have some affection returned." Ryan smiled and then laughed. "You don't like men, and for the record neither do I…"

Elliot looked at Ryan while sitting up, this seemed more like the old Ryan to him. "Why did you kiss me?" Ryan shrugged looking at him. "To prove to you that you could do it." There was a look of confusion on Elliot's face, and Ryan explained further. "You really must not have liked putting up with me, whatever I was doing last night. It wasn't me, and kissing a guy certainly isn't you." Elliot sat there a little surprised, had this kid just managed to teach him a lesson about life. He grabbed Ryan, but then let him go surprised. "Why would you do that? Do you know how cruel that was?" Ryan laughed slightly. "I didn't feel you complaining before." Elliot sighed and looked at Ryan. "Don't ever do that again." Ryan smiled a little. "Why? You can't control me. I'm through with people having control over me. I want Samuel locked up for what he did to me." Elliot heard him and froze; Ryan was ready to press charges.


	14. Chapter 14

Olivia and Elliot walked into the high school, and managed to find Samuel's office without much effort this time. The man froze slightly seeing them, but then seemed not to care. He knew they were detectives, and even that they had wanted to question him before. This didn't worry him though, he had full confidence that he could get out of any situation. "Detectives, what can I help you with?" Elliot looked at the man truly pissed off by his uncaring attitude. He met plenty of scum in his line of work, but a predator managing to work around vulnerable kids had a special level of hate. Samuel started to instinctively resist as Elliot grabbed his wrists. Olivia looked at Samuel without any sympathy. "Please put your hands behind your back, you're under arrest."

Elliot managed to slip the handcuffs around his wrists before reciting the familiar Miranda Rights. Samuel stood there a little shocked as they started leading him out of the school. "What? You've got to be joking!" Olivia slammed the door not really wanting to hear his further excuses. The drive back to the station was an annoying one. Samuel wouldn't stop asserting how he was innocent, and that he'd be released by the afternoon. Olivia walked into the squad room, and waited with Samuel until Elliot could get an open interrogation room. Once one was open, Elliot removed the handcuffs and set Samuel down in the chair across from him. "Do you understand your rights?" Samuel looked at Elliot as if he were annoyed. "Yes, and I'm not invoking my right for a lawyer. I told you, I'm innocent."

Elliot looked up at Olivia and smiled. "Thanks, since he doesn't want a lawyer I guess you can go now." At first Olivia was shocked, but she managed to hide it. She knew Elliot well enough over the years; he wanted to be alone with the suspect. There was the slight worry Elliot's rage might get the better of him, as it normally did if her were left alone with a suspect, but Olivia got up and left. She saw Cragen standing there watching what Elliot was doing closely. There was no way Cragen was going to let Elliot's temper get the best of him. Fin opened the door and looked at Olivia. "Hey Liv, there's someone here that asked to talk to you." Olivia looked at him surprised. "Who?" Fin looked at her knowing it was standard for her to always ask. "Mark Jenkins."

Olivia looked at Cragen for a moment, and he simply nodded for her to go ahead. She found Mark waiting for her at her desk. He looked out of place, and was clearly a little nervous about the atmosphere. The place was often busy, and usually wasn't filled with happy or even safe people. "Hi Mark, I believe you wanted to see me?" Mark looked up at Olivia grateful she was there. He wasn't sure he should come, but there was something bothering him. "Yeah, I was hoping I could ask you a question." Olivia sat down next to Mark; she wanted him to feel like he could take his time. "Sure, we're always here to help." Mark looked at Olivia's desk for a moment, but then managed to say what he needed to. "Can I see Ryan again? I just want to make sure he's okay."

There must have been a look of disbelief on Olivia's face, because Mark started to stand up to leave. Olivia gently grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "I'm sorry, the question just surprised me. I don't see why you couldn't see him, and if I remember correctly he's still here." Mark's face lit up slightly, he hadn't expected to see Ryan so soon. "Let me go see if I can find him. I think Munch took him to identify his father's body." Sitting there shocked, Mark didn't know what else to do other than wait. He knew that Ryan's father had never been there for him, but he wondered what Ryan must feel like to have lost a parent. Mark had lost his own parents by now, and it bothered him that Ryan would have to go through that alone. He hoped that Ryan wanted to see him after what had happened.

Elliot looked at Samuel and smiled. "I'm not going to waste your time. You know why you're here, so can we talk about Ryan Stewart man to man?" Samuel looked up at Elliot and shrugged, he wasn't going to back down just because Elliot seemed to be controlling the situation. "Sure, like I said, I've done nothing wrong." Elliot only nodded at the comment. "I've been spending a few days with Ryan; he's a good kid isn't he?" Samuel looked at Elliot a little surprised. If Ryan had told him about what happened, then he must have known what saying Ryan was a good kid meant. "Yeah he is, if you teach him how to be. He always had a problem answering to authority." Elliot gave Samuel one of his smiles that tried to communicate he was just one of them too, and he thought he saw him return the smile.

Samuel knew he shouldn't ask questions, but he tried to see if the detective would relax around him as well. If his suspicions were right that he was just like him, then he'd relax. "Did Ryan ever have problems around you?" Elliot looked out the window, but leaned back in his chair. He managed to relax just enough before answering the question. "Yeah, the little punk punched me once. He learned quickly though after being restrained not to do it again." Samuel had always been one for restraining his victims just enough to get them to comply, teenagers only needed a little bit of prompting when dealing with authority. "He used to hate it when I restrained his wrists to that chair. He'd struggle and struggle until all his energy was drained." Elliot knew that Samuel had partially just tightened a rope around his neck, and now Elliot wanted him to give him a little more rope to hang himself.

Samuel seemed to like controlling the conversation, so Elliot simply smiled as if thinking about what he'd said. It didn't take long before Samuel started up the conversation again. "Was he good for you? I haven't gotten to taste him for a few years now. Ever since he graduated, he stayed far away from me." Elliot wasn't exactly sure how to handle this, but he thought back to when Ryan had slept curled up against his chest. "He was extremely good for me; after all, it only takes fear doesn't it?" Samuel smiled a little seeing that the detective had been unable to resist Ryan, just as he had. "What's he taste like now? He always used to taste like strawberries when I kissed him." Elliot didn't have to think long about how Ryan's lips had tasted foreign to him, but he lied easily. "He tasted like lemons, sour but sweet at the same time."

Ryan heard that Olivia had a visitor waiting to see him, and he froze when he saw Mark. Part of him wanted to run to the man and tell him how sorry he was, but part of him filled with guilt for having ignored him for so long. "Mark, what are you doing here?" Mark didn't think much of Ryan's comment; he knew that it was only a natural response to the awkward situation. "I thought maybe you could use a friend through this process. If you're willing to accept, I'd gladly help you." Ryan didn't hold back anymore, and he found himself hugging Mark. The gesture should have seemed odd to him, even before they never hugged. Still after so much time apart, it only seemed natural to show how much the other meant to him. Olivia smiled at the two of them, and wandered to get a soda while they talked at her desk.

Even with the thought of Ryan's kiss tasting like lemons, Samuel was getting extremely loose with what he said. Ryan was his after all, and now this detective had gotten close to what was his. "Detective, you know there's a rule between us don't you?" Elliot at first didn't understand, but then he understood all too clearly where this was going. "Yes, and Ryan explained to me that you had marked him as yours. Usually I prefer to mark them permanently, but I didn't see any marks on Ryan. How do you like to mark your own?" Samuel laughed slightly from Elliot's comment. "How do you think? I held him down while he swallowed everything I gave him. Ryan never did like the taste, but he got used to swallowing every drop." Elliot's anger fumed, his memory recalled how tormented Ryan had been telling him how Samuel had marked him repeatedly.

He tried to stop the thought, but it burned into his thoughts. Samuel was clearly enjoying reliving every moment of the abuse afflicted upon Ryan. Elliot stood up slowly, hoping that his boss wouldn't kick him out of the room yet. "You know Samuel, at first I was just going to let you hang yourself and leave it at that. You successfully did that already, so there's only one other thing I have left to do." Samuel looked up at Elliot, the smile dropping from his face. "You what?" Elliot didn't answer the question; he preferred that the man rot in a deep dark place forever. "Ryan will never be yours again. From this point forward he's nobody's property." Samuel looked at Elliot fuming with anger. "You can't take him from me!" Elliot smiled while walking out the room. "Just be good, maybe it'll hurt less…isn't that what you told him?" Elliot left Samuel sitting there in the room yelling out how Ryan was still always his.


	15. Chapter 15

Mark looked at Ryan unsure of what to say now that they'd been left alone. He felt like asking him how he felt, but yet he didn't at the same time. "It's been awhile hasn't it?" Ryan looked down at the floor, this was hard for him. Mark looked exactly like Samuel, yet was much kinder and gentle. "Yeah, look…I'm sorry." There was a slight hesitation, but Mark had to say it. "Ryan, I'm the one who is sorry. What happened was not your fault. I failed to protect you by even asking my brother if something was up." Ryan shook his head, and managed to gently grab Mark's hand. "You didn't, he was your brother. I wouldn't have accepted help. I didn't know what to do, and you looked like him." Mark smiled a little from his touch. "You seem to be doing better though."

Samuel sat in the interrogation room fuming with anger. He had said too much, and now Ryan belonged to someone else. There was no doubt he'd find a way to get out of this, he had a way of getting out of sticky situations. Ever since Ryan had avoided him there was another hunger inside him. It grew darker, deeper than even he could seem to control anymore. He looked up to see Elliot enter the room again, simply sitting back in the chair, he managed to relax. "Well detective, you played a good game. Too bad the game is over." Elliot never did like it when a predator got the confidence that Samuel had now found. It meant he was in for a bad conversation, one that could easily turn violent. "He tasted like lemons huh detective?...Sweet yet bitter…?"

There was a slight tension now in the air, but Elliot refused to play this game. When he didn't speak, Samuel continued on his own. "I bet you loved marking him…didn't you?" Elliot stared into Samuel's eyes, but remembered how Ryan had laid beside him. He remembered how soft Ryan's hair felt through his fingers, and began to wonder if in a way he had. "I don't own him. He's a human being, and you can never own a person. You can never treat them lower than dogs. You're disgusting." Samuel began to laugh at the insult. "I'm disgusting? At least he grew to like what I did…" Elliot yanked Samuel suddenly up by the collar of his shirt. "That's it I've got all I need to hang you. Lets see how well you like it in a cell for the night." Samuel struggled at first, and then relaxed slightly just preferring to seem okay with being dragged to a holding cell.

Ryan looked up suddenly, and Mark turned to see what he was looking at. Before he could comprehend it, the shouting started. "You! Get away from him! He's mine! How dare you!" Samuel was doing all he could to pull away from Elliot, who struggled to also open the cell door. "I'll kill you! I'll kill both of you! Just you wait and see!" Ryan shivered slightly, he had never heard those words before. He had however, known the yelling tone before. It was also followed by the most severe beating he ever got. Mark's arms wrapped protectively around Ryan, but to his surprise Ryan forced himself out of the strong grip. Elliot managed to get the cell door unlocked finally, and he forced Samuel inside. Once the cell door was locked Elliot looked at Samuel. "Don't think we can't use that as evidence."

There was a slight tension as the room started to be filled with the usual commotion of people again. Ryan swallowed hard, wiped his hands against his pants, and began to walk towards the cell. Mark instinctively grabbed his shoulder. "Don't Ryan!" He turned and smiled. "I need to do this Mark, you're right here if I need you." Mark gently let go of Ryan's shoulder, and he began to watch as Ryan walked up to the cell. "You have no more control over me. I'm done listening to you. You lied to me. You took advantage of me and it's over!" Samuel looked up from the small seat in the cell barely moving from his spot. "You think so huh? You don't remember how I tasted in your sweet mouth? Don't you want it again? Don't you miss a man pushing you to enjoy what you could only dream of?"

Ryan hesitated for a moment, something inside him shouted to deny it and yet agree. Samuel saw the look of confusion, and smiled going to the bars. "You know you missed me Ryan. You've been a bad boy, but I can forgive you. We could go back to how it was between us." Samuel gently reached out caressing the collar around Ryan's neck. There was a slight hesitation within Ryan, this had been the first man to ever love him. He had bought the collar that was now around Ryan's neck, and yet none of it was as binding as touch. The familiar touch from Samuel made him tremble in fear, and yet his body began to respond to the simple touch. Samuel smiled even more seeing how Ryan couldn't deny him, he was still his. "No one will touch you but me. Isn't that right?"

Elliot looked at Mark before noticing where Ryan was. He got up and rushed to the bars seeing how Samuel was with Ryan. "Hey come on Ryan, lets go get a drink." Ryan's eyes met Elliot's and then he felt Elliot's grip on his shoulders. It snapped him out of what was happening, but his body was still aroused. "I…I….I can't do this!" Ryan began to run from the room, and Elliot looked at Samuel. "You'll rot for this. I swear it." Elliot gave Mark the worst look he could manage, before starting towards finding Ryan. Mark grabbed his arm, and shook his head. "No, let me. He needs a friend right now." Elliot just nodded. "Try the bathroom, most of the people that run end up in there." Mark managed to find the bathroom on his own, and finding empty except for Ryan, locked the door.

Knocking slowly on the bathroom door, he felt a little awkward. "Ryan, please unlock the door." He heard the door lock turn, but the door stayed shut. Mark opened it and found Ryan facing the wall; he wouldn't even look Mark in the eye. "Ryan, talk to me. What's wrong?" A small blush formed on Ryan's face and he shook his head. "This is so embarrassing…it's not supposed to happen anymore…" Mark tilted his head, and then thought he understood. "You mean being aroused? Is that why you left so quickly?" Ryan only nodded, but then looked at Mark. "I try to stop it, but once it's there only he can satisfy it." There was an awkward silence as Mark realized what Ryan had trusted him with by saying that. Ryan smiled at him for a moment. "I think…it'd be the same…if you did it…"

Mark backed away slightly from Ryan. "I could never touch you Ryan. Not now..not ever." He began to cry slightly, and Mark pulled him close. "Shh, it'll be alright." Ryan buried his head against Mark's chest. "It's not alright. I look at him and he seduces me. He touches me…and I…I like it!" Mark simply held Ryan letting him cry. "Don't you see though? He's going to a place that he will never see you again. You can move on now. I'll be there to help you every step of the way. Right now though, is just the hardest part of it." Ryan looked up at Mark and smiled a little bit. "You're not going to just leave me when it gets hard?" Mark laughed softly. "Of course not." There was a slight silence, and then there was knocking on the door. "Come on already! Get out of the bathroom!" They both began to laugh before going to leave.


End file.
